Dangerous Times
by Tokki-chan
Summary: Chapter 7 is here and it's a doozy.
1. Default Chapter

The solemn sound of the gong echoed over the valley, and if possible, the lone falcon soaring in the sky seemed to follow its path over and beyond until it disappeared into the thick mass of trees that seemed to stretch from the horizon onto forever. As the dull sound faded into the air, the only sounds audible were the occasional high wind and then the falcon's triumphant call, giving voice to its visual sovereignty in the sky. The formidable hunter continued its majestic flight unhindered by anything with only the empty valley as witness.  
  
Well, maybe not empty.  
  
Unbeknownst to the bird of prey, its flight was being carefully monitored, reflected within deep hazel eyes, watching unblinkingly. Young Hayate watched with hawk-like gaze until the bird merged with the horizon, and contemplated the distance for still a while longer before his reverie was interrupted by a soft yet stern voice: "Hayate, come here."  
  
Obediently, Hayate joined the older man's side in gazing down into the valley. He could still see nothing but trees, but his father continued to look confident and expectant. Quietly, Hayate ventured, "Are they really coming, Father?"  
  
A stern look silenced any other doubts he would have cared to voice. "Never doubt the word of a shinobi," his father said. "The Hayabusa are a true clan of warriors. They will not break their word."  
  
Hayate nodded dolefully and bit down on the remark that the shinobi code obviously did not include punctuality. He resisted the various urges to yawn, scratch the back of his legs, and sit down, for it wouldn't do for the heir apparent of the Mugen Tenshin clan to act irresponsibly. Heaven forbid he should actually act his age. The occasion was much too formal for that. It was, after all, a landmark date. For the first time in years, two of the greatest shinobi clans in all of Japan would break out of their self-enforced isolation, coming out of the natural seclusion these mountains offered and invite each other into the fold. Today, the heads of the Mugen Tenshin clan and the Hayabusa clan would be meeting for the first time, and for the first time, the Mugen Tenshin clan would invite the Hayabusa into their home.  
  
Meaning the total disclosure of the location of their village to a rival clan.  
  
It was a risky move, but necessary. It would be the only way to prove the complete good will of the Mugen Tenshin to the Hayabusa. If all went well today, the Hayabusa would reciprocate.  
  
And absolute trust was needed in dangerous times like these.  
  
Hayate bit back another yawn when he suddenly heard the rustle of in the trees before him. To the common ear it would've been barely perceptible, but to those trained from the arts from birth, it was a skill that could save your life. He instantly snapped awake, and unbidden a smile crept onto his face. "They're here," he whispered unnecessarily but unable to successfully keep the excitement bubbling up in his stomach down.  
  
All his father's guard was instantly on alert, and though his father made no visible defenses, he did seem tense. And when the Hayabusa emerged from the thick undergrowth and started to approach up the hill in view, he understood why. Scores of men, moving with the natural cat-like grace of those well versed in stealth came steadily in a massive black wave. Though masks obscured most of their faces, the visible eyes that flashed intently bespoke of all the danger they were capable of. Their formidable armory and weapons added to their intimidating frames and yet they seemed not bothered by it in the least. Rather, they wore it like a second skin. Truly, this was the clan of the famed Super Ninja (AN: I know, I hate that name, too).  
  
It was plain to see that the man approaching ahead of the others was the clan head. Though he wore no signifying marks, the determined look in his eyes mirrored his father's. Hayate's eyes passed uninterestedly along the others, formidable warriors in their own right, perhaps, but nothing that really sparked his interest.  
  
Hayate snapped back to attention when he felt his father leave his place beside him and go a few steps forward to meet the other head. He watched the two men walk towards each other, stopping a respectable distance away from each other and address each other in clear, crisp tones that bespoke of no nonsense.  
  
"The Mugen Tenshin greets the great Hayabusa clan and bids them welcome."  
  
"The Hayabusa gratefully acknowledges and accepts the hospitality of the Mugen Tenshin."  
  
Short bows were exchanged. And with formalities aside, small pleasantries, if they could really be called that, were exchanged. "I trust you had a good journey? No difficulties?"  
  
The Hayabusa shook his head. "No. I do not believe we were followed."  
  
A satisfied nod of the head. "Then. . .are the rumors true?"  
  
"That is what we have come to verify." The Hayabusa cleared his throat and glanced meaningfully over his father's shoulder, back to where his father's guard and he stood. "Perhaps this were better discussed. . .in a more discreet location."  
  
He got an amused chuckle in response. "Do not worry. My men can be trusted on their lives. And," he motioned to Hayate to come forward, who hastened to obey, "this is my son and heir of the Mugen Tenshin, Hayate." The Hayabusa's eyes flicked over to him, and their eyes met for an instant. Hayate stared unblinkingly back, not in the least intimidated by the glower in the man's eye. This seemed to please him, and the Hayabusa turned his attention back to Hayate's father and nodded his approval.  
  
"Yes, it is important for the future of our clans towitness these events. I've also brought my son along. Ryu!" The Hayabusa moved to allow the figure through the crowd and join his father. Hayate was surprised to find that the heir to the Hayabusa was also a boy, no older than he. He carried the same serious, thoughtful look his father wore, and regarded Hayate during the introductions with a studiousness that was almost funny-like he was going to be tested on how the heir of the Mugen Tenshin looked or something. Hayate decided this boy was much too serious for his own good and gave him a friendly grin, and was immediately amused by the surprised, discomfited expression that flashed across the other's face. He was an interesting character to say the least.  
  
At his father's signal, the two clans moved back toward the village temple where their meetings could be held uninterrupted. Those of his father's guards that were not sitting in on the meeting already stationed themselves outside the building while the others filed in. Just before his father joined the other men, he called over his shoulder and said in a voice that brooked no argument, "Hayate, why don't you take Ryu to the village and show him around?"  
  
Hayate nodded and signaled Ryu to follow him. But the other boy hesitated, looking instead questioningly at his father, who looked equally puzzled. "I thought. . .they should be present to hear this," the elder Hayabusa said.  
  
But on this point, the leader of the Mugen Tenshin stood firm. "These matters are too important, too serious to discuss openly with the information we have. If the rumors are true, then we must prepare. But if they are false, I won't shoulder children with more responsibility than they can handle unnecessarily." While the Hayabusa pondered this, to Hayate, his father said, "Go on."  
  
With a light touch on Ryu's shoulder, Hayate motioned the boy to follow him. The walk down the hill was for the most part silent, each too preoccupied with a multitude of thoughts, mostly about what was passing in that temple room. Hayate sighed. He was sure his father had good reasons for what he did, but. . .  
  
He glanced over to the other boy, Ryu, who was just as silent. This kid was probably confused at being shut out of Official Clan Business for the first time since he knew how to walk. He probably didn't know what to do with himself right now. "Hey," Hayate said, deciding if someone was going to break the silence, it'd have to be him. The kid looked sharply up at him, like he had forgotten that he wasn't alone. "You hungry?" Hayate asked. Ryu looked confused. "You know, food. You do eat where you come from, don't you?"  
  
Now Ryu was annoyed. "I know what food is!"  
  
Hayate blinked in surprise. "So you do talk! Good, I was beginning to think that maybe all your stealth training made you mute."  
  
Ryu bristled. "Is the Mugen Tenshin always this rude?"  
  
Hayate shrugged, not in the least affected. "Nope, just me. And only when Father isn't around. My sister, on the other hand, is sweet as pie."  
  
"Sister?"  
  
"Yeah, she's six years younger than I am, and a real twerp."  
  
Twerp? Sweet? Ryu tried to bend his mind around these two images but couldn't reconcile them. He did manage to conjure up a ranting slice of apple pie when he realized the Mugen Tesnhin heir was asking him something. "Sorry, what?"  
  
"I said, 'so are you'?"  
  
"Am I what?"  
  
"Hungry!"  
  
"Oh! Uh, sure. I guess."  
  
"All right. Let's go to my place. I've gotta make sure Kasumi gets lunch anyway."  
  
Ryu followed Hayate through the village of the Mugen Tenshin clan, and was moderately surprised to find it similar to the Hayabusa's. There were small homes built in the traditional Japanese style, a large training dojo, various shops but also a plethora of items not native to these mountains which meant that they imported or traded, lots of gardens, and various work hands returning from what must be the clan's private rice fields. Everyone was busy and life was bustling. You would never guess that this was the home of the most dangerous assassin ninjutsu clan in all of Japan.  
  
And apparently the heir to said clan was as gregarious as he made himself out to be. As they made their way through, he exchanged greetings with several townspeople, and Ryu noted the elders were particularly respectful towards him. Maybe this Hayate wasn't as big a goofball as he had originally thought. But still, he wasn't exactly what Ryu imagined the Mugen Tenshin heir to be like.  
  
Their progress to wherever the hell this kid was taking him was interrupted when they heard scuffling and loud jeering voices off to the side. A young, pretty girl in a very plain kimono who had apparently had the water jug she was carrying knocked out of her hands was now glaring heatedly at the three offenders.  
  
"What'sa matter?" one was jeering. "Drop something?"  
  
"Let me pass," the girl said shortly.  
  
"What's the hurry, Ayane?" another one joined in. "We never see you anymore."  
  
"That's because she's not Ireally/I part of the Clan!" the last crowed.  
  
The first clucked his tongue in mock sympathy. "Awww, that's okay. We'll play with you, won't we, guys? We'll play with Ayane the half-breed."  
  
"Ayane the bastard child."  
  
"Ayane the whore's child."  
  
The girl was obviously trying to fight back tears, but she stalwartly assumed a fighting stance. The boys seemed genuinely amused. "Gonna fight us, half-breed?"  
  
"Yeah! Let's spar. Hajin Mon versus Tenjin Mon! Show us what the school of the great Genra's dojo is made of!"  
  
"Ha! No contest. It's as probably as easy as her mother!" one said, followed by another round of laughter.  
  
Beside him, Ryu felt Hayate tense and go dangerously silent. "Excuse me," he said briefly to Ryu before striding up, quickly and soundlessly to where the commotion was going on. Ryu watched stunned for a few moments, before running to catch up. That look he had seen on Hayate's face was so unlike what he saw before. It changed him completely. It was dangerous, deadly. More like what he expected from a ninja assassin.  
  
It was face of the man that Hayate would become.  
  
Banishing such thoughts for the present (they gave him the heebie-jeebies), he ran to catch up.  
  
"Is there a problem here?" Hayate barked as soon as he was within reach. The boys turned arrogantly but all pomp went out of their stance when they saw who had come to interrupt their fun.  
  
"Ha-hayate-san!"  
  
Hayate crossed his arms and gave them all glares that spoke volumes. "Mind explaining what's going on?" All he got were blank stares in answer. "Hayashi?"  
  
The boy addressed, Hayashi, swallowed audibly and his face paled. "No- nothing much. We just wanted to spar a little bit."  
  
"Three against one is slightly out of the bounds of fairness, don't you think? But if it's a sparring match you want, I'm sure Hayabusa-san here and myself wouldn't mind evening the odds." The boys were sweating visibly now. "That's right," Hayate said warmly, "I don't believe you met the heir to the Hayabusa clan. I was showing him around, but I never expected to show him such disgraceful conduct within our own clan members." He gave each a pointed look and his words came out with the force of bullets. "Tenjin Mon, Hajin Mon, they're Iall/Ischools of the Mugen Tenshin! And I won't tolerate such disrespect toward either. And if you ever disrespect any of my family again, I'll personally see to it that you pay. Now get out of here." That was all the encouragement they needed. Hayashi and Co. turned tail and took off.  
  
Hayate didn't even break stance when they disappeared out of sight and continued to glare at where the offenders had been. Ryu shuffled uncomfortably and not knowing what else to do, picked up the water jug and handed it to the girl Ayane who thanked him all the while keeping her gaze upon Hayate's back. "Hayate. . .san?"  
  
Her voice seemed to break him out of his stormy reverie and he turned back to face them, offering them a smile that was but a shadow of his former congeniality. "You okay, Ayane?" The girl nodded. His smile got a bit of warmth back. "Don't let them get to you. You're a great fighter. One of these days, you'll beat them all. Come on, Ryu, we better get going." To Ayane he said, "Give Genra-sama my regards. See you later." And the two boys moved off again, leaving Ayane watching them until they were out of sight. Then, clutching the water jug to her chest, she hurried back to the Hajin Mon dojo.  
  
Genra heard the front door open and slam, and the quick, agitated steps of his adopted daughter scurry across the floor. "Ayane?"  
  
"Hai! Tadaima."  
  
He smiled. "Okaeri," he replied, and then noticed her flushed face and empty water jug. "What happened, child?"  
  
He waited patiently while Ayane rushed to tell everything that had just happened outside and concluded with, "and Hayate-san sends his regards" before stopping to catch her breath.  
  
"Hayate. . .is a good boy. You can trust him."  
  
"Yes, Father."  
  
*** "Who. . .was that?"  
  
Hayate digested Ryu's innocent question and pondered how to answer it. His father's voice floated in his mind of what he had once said when they had been walking through the village and saw Ayane in the distance: IDo not look upon your mother's shame./I "She's. . .Genra's best student and daughter. Genra-sama owns the Hajin Mon dojo. It's another school of Mugen Tenshin but kind of new, so it isn't as widely used as Tenjin Mon Ninjutsu." He laughed nervously when he realized he was babbling. IAw, to hell with it./I "She's my sister."  
  
"Sister. . .?" Ryu's eyes widened when the meaning of the words finally sunk in.  
  
"A long time ago when my father was supposedly lost on an assignment, my mother decided to take her lonely nights elsewhere. Needless to say, when my Father returned, he found out her betrayal, disowned her, and she supposedly died of shame, the child abandoned until Genra adopted Ayane as his own."  
  
"I. . ." Was it all right for him to hear all this? "I'm sorry."  
  
"S'all right," Hayate said bitterly. "It's not your fault."  
  
"I. . ." What could one say at a time like this?  
  
Nothing. Nothing at all. Except. . .  
  
"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me."  
  
At this Hayate grinned, a true grin. "Might as well. We're supposed to be working pretty closely now. And you seem pretty reliable. But if you go blabbing this to anyone, I'm going to slit your throat."  
  
"I would never tell!" Ryu swore vehemently.  
  
"Geez, I was just kidding. Lighten up a bit, Ryu."  
  
But Ryu had meant every word he said. He would carry a secret like this entrusted to the grave. Whether they knew it or not, with that oath of fidelity came the beginning of deep friendship, a friendship more akin to brotherhood.  
  
*** The house of the head of the Mugen Tenshin was, as expected, impressive with a fantastic courtyard in front of the main house lined with sakura trees that would look incredible when in full bloom.  
  
Delicious smells were wafting through the air and Hayate went straight up to the front door and poked his head in. Sure enough, he could hear rattling coming from the kitchen. Dread started to trickle down his spine. "Kasumi!" he called as he disappeared into the direction of what Ryu could only guess was the kitchen, abandoning Ryu in the doorway.  
  
A bright, cheery voice chirped a reply. "Oh, Nii-san, okaeri!"  
  
"Tadaima," Hayate's voice said, relief obvious in his speech. Whatever he was worried about happening obviously didn't.  
  
"Ne, nii-san, did you see the Hayabusa clan? Are they really as scary as everyone says they are?" Ryu nearly choked. IWe're/I scary? You're a bunch of assassins!  
  
"They're a powerful clan," Hayate's voice corrected.  
  
"Ayane says they wrestle with bears. Is that true?"  
  
"WHAT?" Ryu heard his voice squawk before he could hold it in.  
  
There was a sudden silence, and Ryu had the feeling that Hayate was trying to hold his laughter in. "Ni-nii-san," the voice of Kasumi ventured carefully, "is there someone here?"  
  
"Come on in, Ryu! It's safe enough. There's no apocalypse today."  
  
"Ojamashimasu." Kicking off his shoes, he followed the voices to the kitchen and came face to face with the brightest amber eyes he'd ever seen.  
  
"Kasumi, this is Ryu Hayabusa of the Hayabusa clan. Ryu, this is my sister, Kasumi."  
  
Kasumi's head quickly bobbed in a bow. "Ha-hajimemashite, Hayabusa-san."  
  
Ryu snapped to and realized the polite thing would be to respond. "Yoroshiku, Kasumi."  
  
"Well, what do you think, Kasumi?" Hayate asked. "Does he look like he wrestles bears?"  
  
"Nii-san!" Kasumi protested, an embarrassed flush rising to her cheeks. Hayate ignored her and walked over to the counter where she had obviously been cooking. A roll of misshapen rice balls were lined up next to the rice pot, and a pot of what smelled like miso seemed to be warming up. Hayate uncovered the pot and took a taste.  
  
"Not bad," he said and looked over at Kasumi with what could only be called pride. "You're getting better." And Kasumi looked pleased until he added, "At least you didn't burn anything this time. But that's the ugliest bunch of onigiri I've ever seen."  
  
The shy smile creeping onto her small face quickly dissolved into an angry flush. "Mou!" Kasumi exclaimed exasperatedly. "I tried my best!"  
  
Hayate laughed and stuck one in his mouth before turning to chop the tofu for the miso. "Why don't you go set the table," he said around bites. "Hayabusa-san is staying for lunch. I'll finish in here." Kasumi gave one more petulant pout before flipping her long braid over her shoulder and going into the next room.  
  
That left Ryu standing in the doorway of the kitchen feeling rather useless. "Uh. . .need any help?"  
  
Hayate regarded him critically. "Can you cook?"  
  
"A little."  
  
"Okay. Cut these up and add them to the soup," he said, gesturing to the green onion and the pot, and he moved over to the pot of rice. "I'm going to see if I can salvage these."  
  
Ryu cast a glance at Kasumi's abandoned onigiri. "They don't look that bad," he ventured in her defense.  
  
"Pfffft. They'll fall right apart." Picking up another dried plum center, Hayate molded the rice mixed with salmon roe around it. His skilled hands shaped them effortlessly into the perfect triangular shape. "I like mine grilled. How do you want yours?"  
  
"Just plain is fine."  
  
"Just like Kasumi. Do I have to make yours into rabbits, too?"  
  
Ryu nearly dropped the ladle. "Huh?"  
  
Hayate demonstrated: picking up a plain one, he took two plums and stuck them onto a corner forming two tiny eyes. Taking two strips of dried seaweed, he pressed them right above the plums. With a little bit of imagination, they could be ears.  
  
Ryu frowned. "Of course not."  
  
Hayate shrugged and continued to give several others the same treatment for Kasumi, leaving the rest as they were, half of which were eventually grilled. When everything was done, they carried the completed meal to the dining area where they found Kasumi had already set a place for everyone and was busily sulking while tossing fortune sticks onto the table top.  
  
"For cryin' out loud, Kasumi. Not at the table." Sulking even more, she quietly put them away, but brightened as soon as she saw the rabbit rice balls and mentally decided to forgive her brother for being such a git, at least for the time being. Normal humor restored, she chatted merrily about her day, but it was obvious she was more interested in hearing what had happened to the boys.  
  
"Oh!" she cried in dismay when she heard about Ayane (though Hayate had tactfully decided to leave some of the actual comments they said out). "That's so cruel! How dare they!" Her small fist tightened around her chopsticks at the injustice her sister suffered. "I hope you said something, Nii-san."  
  
"Don't worry," Ryu said. "Your brother made sure it'll never happen again." I hope.  
  
"Oh, good," she said, obviously relieved. Then her face suddenly flushed with embarrassment. Ryu, not for the first time that day, again thought about how positively mercurial Kasumi's face was, changing emotions in the blink of an eye. It was certainly fascinating to look at; and it made her as easy to read as an open book.  
  
Kasumi fidgeted. She could feel Hayabusa-san staring at her, and she wondered why. Was there something on her face? As discreetly as she could, she wiped around the edges of her mouth, but felt nothing there. The intense stares continued and she wanted to know IwhatI/ he wanted or just say something, anything to make him Istop./I  
  
"Um, Hayabusa-san? I. . .apologize about. . .earlier. . ."  
  
He blinked in confusion. "Earlier?"  
  
Kasumi squirmed uncomfortably. "About. . .you know. . ." Hayate caught on and snorted into his rice bowl. Kasumi steadfastly ignored him. She was going to do this Iproperly./I "I'm sorry about what I said about you and the bear!" she blurted bowing her head so low and quickly for a second Hayate was worried she'd bang her head against the table.  
  
"Oh. Um." Again, Ryu found himself speechless. "That's okay," he finally offered.  
  
"It's just that-I've never seen any other clans outside the Mugen Tenshin before and there were so many rumors of the famous Hayabusa clan who saved the Emperor's life so many times-and-and Ayane said-"  
  
"Ayane was pulling your leg, like she always does," Hayate said slamming his chopsticks down onto the table, making Kasumi jump in surprise. "Stop being so gullible and you won't make a fool of yourself."  
  
Kasumi lapsed into a hurt silence and Hayate gathered up the plates to carry them back to the kitchen. There was a brief uncomfortable silence before Ryu hurriedly got up to help, but before he followed, he gently touched Kasumi on the shoulder. "It's okay," he said again. "Really. I don't mind."  
  
In the kitchen he dumped the rest of the plates in the tub where Hayate already started washing. "Did you have to be so hard on her?"  
  
Hayate said nothing immediately but his eyes betrayed a reasonable amount of guilt. "It's just" he finally sighed, "Ayane keeps picking on her, and she just smiles like an idiot and takes it."  
  
"It's just who she is."  
  
"Oh?" he asked, somewhat annoyed. "What makes you think you know her so well already?"  
  
Ryu shrugged. "I can tell."  
  
When the last clean dish was put away, Ryu asked, "Now what?"  
  
Hayate shrugged. "We can do anything we want, I guess. Wanna spar?"  
  
Sparring! Now that was something Ryu related to! "Sure."  
  
"Okay, lemme get Kasumi."  
  
They convened in the courtyard with a resignedly quiet Kasumi in tow, looking for all purposes like a puppy kicked one too many times. She sat dejectedly down on a rock while the boys got into ready positions. Any light banter that had been exchanged before died to serious silence. They knew this was more than just a practice fight for their future training; it was a chance to size up the teachings of another school of ninjutsu-a truly rare opportunity outside of a real battle to the death.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Any time you are."  
  
As Ryu expected, Hayate was quick to make the first move. Even if his attitude hadn't already given away the fact that such was his style, he knew Hayate was eager to work something out of his system right now. So he was prepared. What he wasn't prepared for, as his arm came up easily for the block, was the jarring force with which Hayate's fist made contact. Ryu thought, with a grimace, he felt something Icrunch/I and had to put everything into a defensive stance to prevent himself from falling backward completely. He winced in pain but didn't really get much between that before he quickly retreated from the barrage of furious punches and forceful kicks which Hayate's heavy stance afforded him.  
  
He was good, very good, as was to be expected of the Mugen Tenshin and for the first time since he started learning ninjutsu, Ryu felt his blood pumping hotly with excitement at the danger of it all. He had never had a really sparred like this-his father's men had the same training, the same predictable moves. Suddenly, Ryu had a thirst to prove himself: to Hayate, to Kasumi, to his father, to the world!  
  
But he wouldn't be able to if he backed into this wall behind him. He retreated far enough until he could spring back lightly, using the wall as a springboard to launch himself over Hayate's head and landing behind him. Not giving his opponent the chance to turn around, he aimed a swift kick for the back of Hayate's knees, brining him to the ground before throwing the rest of his weight onto his back and pinning him there.  
  
Hayate grunted and picked his face off the ground. "All right, all right. Uncle, already!" he said, rolling the other shinobi off his back.  
  
Ryu blinked.  
  
He just won.  
  
And it felt Igood/I.  
  
"Good match," Hayate said, "but I guess that's to be expected of the Hayabusa."  
  
"Yeah, well, you're not so bad yourself," Ryu returned a trifle smugly. He just won, so he felt like he deserved it. Then he winced and rubbed his sore arms. "Where'd you learn to punch like that?"  
  
"Nii-san likes to hit hard things." Ryu looked at Kasumi in confusion. "He squeezes rocks," she clarified, "and has this metal pad thingy in his room he likes to punch."  
  
"Quiet, twerp. You wanna give away all our trade secrets?" Kasumi sulked again. Oh. Right. She was mad at him. Whoops.  
  
"You punch metal?" Ryu asked incredulously, biting down on the obvious Idoesn't that hurt?/I  
  
Hayate shrugged. "No one will spar with me anymore." Ryu looked at the bruises already forming on his arms and could see why. "Except Kasumi."  
  
Ryu choked. "Kasumi? Spars with Iyou/I? You'll kill her!"  
  
Hayate chuckled. "Don't be fooled by her. She is kunoichi, you know."  
  
"But-but-!"  
  
"Kasumi, would you like to spar with Hayabusa-san?"  
  
If at all possible, those amber eyes lit up even more. "Can I?"  
  
Ryu waited as the Mugen Tenshin children changed places, and assumed a ready stance. As soon as she came within distance, Kasumi also got ready, and Ryu was again shocked to see the bright smile drop away completely. Her face, which up until now had been glowing, became hard, her eyes glittered not with carefree happiness, but deadly determination. It would be another striking but not altogether unwelcome aspect of Kasumi Ryu would puzzle over again and again.  
  
He was surprised when he realized that she was waiting for him to make the first move. He shrugged and decided to acquiesce, launching a rather half- hearted jab at her shoulder.  
  
Or at least where her shoulder Ishould/I have been.  
  
His reaction time was quicker than Hayate's, and he turned just in time to block the flying kick that would have hit him square the in the small of the back. He made an attempt to use that block to push against her leg and hopefully knock her off balance, but she retreated back with a light jump, using the coltish grace that was naturally hers. He followed her retreat, this time going at her in earnest. He had obviously misjudged her, and he was determined to remedy that mistake. But he also didn't expect her to be that light and quick on her feet, either. Where as Hayate was as steadfast as a rock, she was as light as air, making it very easy for her to use him as a springboard, her hands only resting on his shoulders briefly, like a passing touch, before she was behind him and attacking again. She was so fast, that until he felt the shock in the back of his head and vaguely saw the ground rushing up, he didn't even realize he had been hit.  
  
He was pretty sure there were voices saying something to him, but all the sounds were muddled and distant. He was more sure that someone was gently cradling his head, and before everything went black, Ryu thought about how pleasant the smell of strawberries was.  
  
*** I--busa-san/I  
  
IHayabusa-san!/I  
  
He was dimly aware of something warm lightly hitting his face. Ryu groaned. He wished he could make his mouth work so whoever was yelling would please keep it down. He had a major headache.  
  
"Hayabusa-san!"  
  
Reality doused over him like a bucket of cold water, and he snapped awake, experiencing only minor confusion until his eyes focused onto Kasumi's over- bright eyes.  
  
"Ka-kasumi?"  
  
Relief flooded Kasumi's face as the tears spilled down her cheeks. "You're alive!"  
  
Ryu grunted and sat up. It looked like he was lying on the deck. "What happened?"  
  
"I'm so sorry!" she cried, bowing her head almost to the deck floor. "I hit your-that is, I didn't mean to-I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" she managed before bursting into tears again.  
  
Even though Ihe/I was the one who got knocked out, Ryu couldn't help but feel like somewhat of a jerk. "It's okay, Kasumi. Really." Her tearful expression didn't look convinced. Ryu gingerly rubbed the back of his head. Sore, but didn't look like any permanent damage was done. It looked like she just managed to stun him. He gave her what he hoped was an encouraging grin. "That was some kick."  
  
"I-thank you," she said gratefully, trying to stifle back tears. "I'll get some ice for your head." And she hurried back inside without a further word.  
  
Ryu lied back down gently to stop the world from spinning. "Go on," he said to the person he knew was there, "you're dying to say it, aren't you?"  
  
"I told you so," came the unapologetic reply.  
  
Ryu groaned.  
  
"Hey, come on," Hayate said from wherever the hell his voice was coming from. "She didn't hurt you that bad."  
  
"Just my pride," Ryu mumbled. Hayate laughed. "She's good," he admitted.  
  
"See? But you made her cry, punk."  
  
Ryu couldn't believe he just heard that, and stared unbelievingly up at Hayate's truly upset expression. "Uh, excuse me? I'm the one on the ground here."  
  
"Kasumi has the skills," Hayate said seriously, "but she's not cut out for this kind of life." And Ryu understood.  
  
He knew it. He knew it from the first time he saw her. An untapped innocence and a love and appreciation for life and all it had to offer. How could she become an instrument for its destruction? "But she's strong," he said, before he was aware that he even spoke.  
  
"And stubborn," Hayate agreed, "and that's the worst kind." Suddenly, the boy seemed impossibly old.  
  
"You're worried about her."  
  
Hayate nodded. "This is going to turn out badly. I can feel it."  
  
Before Ryu could reply, Hayate made a motion to keep quiet and Kasumi's light step could be heard again moments before her reappearance, ice pack in hand. She hurried to Ryu's side, and gently held it to the back of his head before allowing him to take over. Though she was no longer crying, it was obvious she still felt horrible about what she had done.  
  
"Well, I think that's enough sparring today," Hayate said, his voice deliberately light. "I guess Kasumi's our winner."  
  
"I don't want to win like that!" Kasumi cried heatedly. "It's not fair!"  
  
"Sometimes," Ryu said, "you can't win all your fights fairly. Sometimes winning is more important than how you win."  
  
"No!" Kasumi said emphatically, completely surprising the other shinobi. "There's always a way to win fair and square."  
  
Before Ryu could answer back, Hayate interrupted, saying, "Well, you won fair and square today. Na, Ryu?" giving him a pointed look.  
  
"Right. I enjoyed today's fight, Kasumi," he said sincerely. "I look forward to fighting you again. But next time, I won't lose."  
  
Despite herself, Kasumi found herself smiling. "I won't either, Hayabusa- san."  
  
Hayate cleared his throat. "Kasumi, why don't you go take a look in the ice box?" As soon as the kunoichi left, Hayate fixed Ryu with a Stare.  
  
It was totally unnerving. "Wha-what?"  
  
Hayate said nothing, but form the kitchen came the faint squeal of "Strawberry millefeuilles!" Hayate shrugged it off. "Never mind, we better go get some before she eats 'em all."  
  
So the gang of three sat down to dessert and green tea. And Ryu was fairly surprised to hear the gong from the temple sound the end of the meeting- surprised, because he had forgotten all about it.  
  
*** On the way back to their own village, the elder Hayabusa called his son to him and asked his impression of the Mugen Tenshin.  
  
"The heirs think. . .differently from what I expected."  
  
"Differently?"  
  
"They're too. . .emotional, I guess. They let it affect their judgment too much."  
  
"Are they valuable allies?"  
  
On this point, he was sure. "Yes, Father. They seem to know what they're doing, and," he said, rubbing his injuries, "they're formidable warriors."  
  
"Found that out first hand, did you?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Good." Ryu was surprised to hear how grim his father sounded. "For all our sakes, I hope they are what you say they are." 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Since I forgot last time, DOA not mine, blah di blah. If it was, I'd like to see it animated. Midorikawa rules! Also thanks to reaper for the updated info on Ninja Gaiden and Ryu. I've made corrections to this part, and if I can get off my lazy ass, I'll go back and correct it for part one.  
  
Hayate woke with a start.  
  
Breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, he tried desperately to figure out what had disturbed his slumber so badly. A bad dream? No, it was more frightening, and more real. It had been a feeling, a feeling of inescapable doom.  
  
He glanced around quickly to get his bearings. He was still in his own room. The full moon had risen high outside his window.  
  
He felt the hot taste of bile rising up to his mouth and choked. This was bad. These feelings were getting more frequent. Grimly, he removed his hand from his mouth and got up. Maybe a glass of water to calm him down.  
  
He quietly padded his way down the hall to the kitchen, passing Kasumi's room, which was peacefully quiet, and then his father's, whose lights were still on, causing him to pause. It was way past even when his father usually turned in, so what was keeping him up as well? Carefully so he didn't make a sound, he leaned over and pressed his ear to the sliding door.  
  
At first he couldn't hear anything, and if it weren't for the lights, he would have thought he made a mistake and his father was actually asleep. He had to be sitting in serious contemplation, for whatever that might be. Hayate was almost sure he could hear the faint tapping of a brush being laid against an ink well. He finally heard a distinct sigh. "Fame Douglas, huh?" his father said softly, all of his usual brusqueness and strength gone. Never before had his father sounded so incredibly aged to him. "A rich man's folly is going to be the death of us all." There was the sound of paper shuffling, and moments later, the lights went out.  
  
Hayate slowly sat back on his haunches and released a breath he didn't know he was holding. He couldn't be certain, but he was pretty sure he just heard something he shouldn't have.  
  
Fame Douglas?  
  
This was going to be a long night.  
  
***  
  
Because he didn't get to go very often, Hayate found shopping downtown rather interesting sometimes. He only came here for things not native to their own mountain, and seeing such busyness in the face of the relative quiet of mountain living was usually a welcome change.  
  
Even though it wasn't on the shopping list he held in his hand, he added a ripe avocado to his basket as well other items that struck his fancy. Western food was actually quite easy, he discovered from experimentation, and offered a lot of room for creativity. Though nothing could really take the place of traditional Japanese, it broke the monotony of eating the usual rice and fish quite nicely.  
  
He almost left the produce isle when he heard a voice call his name. Turning around, he saw his friend Ryu Hayabusa, nearly obscured by a pile of potatoes. Abandoning what vegetable he had been contemplating, Ryu instead hurried over to talk to his friend.  
  
"I thought it was you," he said when he finally caught up, "but I couldn't be sure. I never expected to see the 'Iron Fist' of the Mugen Tenshin to be in a place like this."  
  
Hayate groaned the lame nickname Kasumi had coined for him. "Not you, too."  
  
Ryu grinned. "What, you don't think it'll strike fear into your opponents hearts when you come blazing onto the scene? Of course, seeing the Iron Fist shopping for tomorrow's dinner is a little less than frightening, I must admit. Maybe we should call you the Iron Chef instead."  
  
Hayate rolled his eyes at his friend's witty comment. "It's a good thing you can fight, because you can't tell a joke to save your life," he muttered. "Anyway, it's been a while. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Same thing as you, I suppose. Running errands for some of the elders."  
  
"I've got some errands to run, too. But while I was here, I decided to pick some stuff up."  
  
Ryu eyed all those mysterious food items in Hayate's hand. "You know how to cook that stuff?"  
  
"It's actually not that hard. Even Kasumi can make this stuff. I figure tonight I'd show her how to make some pasta." Ryu looked incredulous. "It's good, trust me. If you have time, you should come over and try some."  
  
Ryu seemed to consider the offer. "Well, I am almost done. . ."  
  
"I've still got to hit the hardware store because we're doing some repairs to the dojo, and then the bakery."  
  
Ryu grinned knowingly. "For some strawberry millefueilles?"  
  
"Yeah. So you'll have to wait a while. Or," he added, "you could finish up for me here, so I can do those other things and I'll meet you outside."  
  
Ryu hesitated, but then shrugged. "Sure, okay." How hard could it possibly be? Too bad he missed the evil glint in Hayate's eye as he thrust the basket and shopping list a trifle too cheerfully towards Ryu.  
  
"Just tell me the total and I'll pay you back," Hayate said as he hurried out. "See you in a bit."  
  
Ryu waved goodbye and then glanced over the list he now held in his hand:  
  
Butter.  
  
Eggs. Large, brown.  
  
Shampoo. Ryu furrowed his brow. What kind? It didn't say. He glanced at the shelf with a plethora of different brands. Great, were the rest of them this bad?  
  
Soap.  
  
Shaving cream. Fine, easy enough.  
  
And then. . .  
  
But as his eyes scanned further down, his face paled.  
  
Oh no.  
  
He closed his eyes for a moment and prayed that when he opened them again that last word would disappear or at least magically transform into something else. Or maybe he had read it wrong. Yeah, he must have read it wrong.  
  
No such luck. When he opened them the word was still there in all its blaring injury.  
  
Tampons.  
  
Lord help him.  
  
C'mon, Ryu, he chided himself. You're shinobi. Think of your training! Your training that taught you to handle any situation head on, even battling to the death.  
  
He looked at the list again and felt himself go green.  
  
I think I prefer death, he thought miserably.  
  
He trudged over to the appropriate isle, and thought for an instant he saw his life flash before his eyes and then realized that it was probably just all those colorful toothpaste labels.  
  
I have measured my life out in toothpaste labels. [1]  
  
Does the mind go delirious from trauma? Best not to go there.  
  
Ryu was quick to discover that there were not only several different brands, but different kinds whether real or advertised that took up nearly half an entire isle.  
  
He felt like banging his head into the shelf.  
  
Or better yet, Hayate's.  
  
***  
  
Hayate had been waiting patiently, and a trifle smugly, at the appointed place by the time Ryu emerged red faced with embarrassment and annoyance. Hayate tried unsuccessfully to hold his laughter in, but couldn't resist the dig: "Something wrong?"  
  
"Thanks to you I can never show my face around Mrs. Toriyama's market again without all the employees laughing. Here's your stuff," he added sullenly shoving a plastic bag at him with the receipt. Hayate merely smiled complacently and handed Ryu a wad of yen.  
  
"Come, come, Hayabusa. I'm sure the famed super ninja couldn't have had such a hard time shopping for a few feminine needs."  
  
"How about the Super Ninja drive the Iron Fist into the ground?"  
  
Hayate quickly held the box of pastries he had been holding in front of him like a shield. "One false move and these pasties get it! AND I'll tell Kasumi you did it. Tell me, Ryu, have you ever had to face down a kunoichi with PMS before?"  
  
Ryu gaped and regarded Hayate with a measure of new respect. He had no idea the Mugen Tenshin was faced with such. . .apocalyptic horrors. Satisfied with at least a momentary truce, the two gathered their supplies and began the long journey back to the Mugen Tenshin hold.  
  
***  
  
Hayate felt something warm inside when he saw the small village appear at the end of the tiny mountain trail; it was home, and he didn't think he'd ever feel any different coming back to this familiar sight. He accompanied Ryu as far as the he could before he turned and said, "I'm going to go drop this stuff off at the dojo. I'll meet you back at my place."  
  
Ryu carried on as before after Hayate took off, knowing full well where he was headed. He was surprised, however, to see another familiar face waiting just at the other end of the square. "Kasumi?"  
  
She looked up in surprise. "Hayabusa-san? It's been such a long while! How are you?"  
  
"Fine. And you?"  
  
Kasumi favored him with a cheery grin. "I'm good, thank you, but you know me. What brings you here?"  
  
Ryu held up the bags in his hands. "Met your brother in town and just dropping these off for him."  
  
"Oh! Where are my manners?" Kasumi fussed before hurrying to take some of purchases from him. "You really should stay for dinner, Hayabusa- san, since you've come all this way. I'm sure Father and Nii-san won't mind."  
  
"I wouldn't want to impose. . ."  
  
"Not at all!" Kasumi insisted. "We'd love to have you! You can help judge my progress. I'm trying my hand at pasta today," she confided slyly. "Nii-san thinks I've never done it before, but actually, I have, and it's really easy. So I'm going to try some new things today and beat the pants off of Nii-san!" Kasumi's smile became adorably devilish. "Ne, Hayabusa- san? How would you like to earn some extra yen?"  
  
"How?"  
  
"Well, when I try my cooking against Nii-san's, I'm going to wager next week's allowance that mine is going to be better than his. And since you'll probably be our judge, say mine is better and I'll give you half."  
  
Ryu snorted in laughter. "Tell you what, I'll vote in your favor and you can keep the entire thing." It was time to pay Hayate back for that lovely turn he did him at the market.  
  
Kasumi giggled and skipped ahead a few steps before turning back to Ryu. "Well, we'd better hurry back," she said before turning to skip ahead again, so excited at the clear prospects of mischief in the air that Ryu didn't even get a chance to tell her to look out before she collided with the person walking behind her.  
  
Bags and packages and limbs went flying everywhere in one chaotic heap.  
  
Kasumi was quicker to pick herself up off the ground. "Ayane! I'm so sorry! It was an accident," she explained while offering a helping hand up to the other fallen girl. Ayane ignored the proffered hand and instead wordlessly started to pick up her scattered books. "Here," Kasumi said quickly, "let me help" and reached for a book which Ayane pointedly snatched out of her grasp. Kasumi watched in silence as Ayane turned her back to her and continued to collect her fallen things. Sighing, Kasumi did the same, first putting things back into their bags and last reaching for the bakery box when a heavy boot crushed it, squirting strawberry and cream between the ruined cardboard.  
  
Kasumi looked up in disbelief straight into Ayane's glare. Eyes widening in mock surprise, Ayane exclaimed, "Oops! I'm _so_ sorry, Kasumi! It was an accident!" before turning heel and walking off without so much as looking back.  
  
Kasumi watched her half-sister's retreating form even after it disappeared from her view, only to be suddenly called back by Ryu's voice next to her.  
  
"That was uncalled for," he said angrily. "She had no reason to do that."  
  
Kasumi gave an uneasy laugh. "No, Hayabusa-san. It was an accident."  
  
"An "accident"? That was no accident!"  
  
"Please, Hayabusa-san, she apologized."  
  
"And I'm sure she meant it, too," Ryu added bitingly.  
  
Kasumi bit her lip, unable to deny it. "Please don't tell Nii-san," she pleaded in a small voice.  
  
"He should know what kind of behavior is going on in his own clan!" Ryu argued, unable to believe that Kasumi was willing to take this lying down.  
  
But Kasumi was adamant. Catching his arm and forcing him to meet her eyes, she begged, "Please! Please, promise you won't tell Nii-san. Ayane has enough to deal with already. It's all right, really." Ryu didn't answer and continued to stew angrily. "Please, Hayabusa-san."  
  
Ryu closed his eyes and counted to ten before finally letting go of a long-held breath. "All right," he sighed.  
  
"Thank you, Hayabusa-san," she said with sincerity that was both puzzling and profoundly melancholy. The two continued their trip back to the dwelling in uncomfortable silence.  
  
***  
  
The atmosphere was almost tangible when Hayate finally stepped into the house. His sister and friend were standing side by side, unloading their purchases onto the kitchen table not saying anything to each other, so obviously preoccupied with their own thoughts.  
  
His voice broke through the silence like a bullet. "Hey, what's going on?"  
  
"Nii-san!" Kasumi let out a surprised squeak. "O-okaeri!"  
  
"Tadaima. Something happen to you two?"  
  
"No, not at all," Kasumi said with what she hoped would be a natural smile. "How are the dojo repairs going?"  
  
Hayate eyed his sister critically. She was obviously underestimating how well he knew her, but he decided to let her off since she was so uncomfortable about it. "Fine. Need any help with anything?" he asked, stepping up to the table.  
  
"No, we're just about done. But Nii-san, these weren't the ones I wanted," she said, holding up that box that had been the bane of Ryu's shopping experience.  
  
Hayate shrugged and said, "Tell Ryu that. He's the one who bought them."  
  
". . .Oh."  
  
Though he tried to ignore the impulse, Ryu couldn't help but sneak a glance at Kasumi at her tone of voice and caught the full blast of her wide- eyed, flushed expression.  
  
Boy, was it hot in here or was it just him?  
  
***  
  
As the rest of the evening progressed, Ryu's anger slowly melted away and time passed pleasantly. Besides, it was impossible to stay angry in the face of Hayate's indignant squawk at the results of the little wager. Eventually, the rising moon's pale white light filtered in the window and lamps had to be lit. As though his cue, Ryu stood up to leave. The Mugen Tenshin heirs got up as well. But today, Hayate turned to Kasumi and asked her to clean up while he saw Ryu off. Any protests she might have had died with his very gentle but very firm: "Please."  
  
Ryu had the feeling that he wouldn't like what Hayate was about to ask him, and waited a touch anxiously in the courtyard, wondering if he would be able to preserve his promise to Kasumi without lying to his best friend. But when he heard the front door slide shut, and turned to see Hayate standing there, his friend merely gave him a tight smile and shrug before leading the way out through the village in the dark of the night.  
  
Even though the full moon's light bathed the village in its pale light, or perhaps because of it, everything felt more ghostly somehow. With the square empty of its bustling people, and the only dim light afforded coming from the windows of families safely in their homes, even Ryu felt the chilling feeling on the back of his neck. And whatever that was, he could sense his friend was steeped in it.  
  
"You want to tell me something, Hayate." It wasn't a question.  
  
Hayate nodded but still paused, as if trying to compose what he was trying to say. He finally decided to throw all caution into the wind and go for the blunt approach: "Who is Fame Douglas?"  
  
For a brief instance Ryu felt ridiculously relieved it wasn't about Kasumi that he almost lost the presence of mind to be puzzled. "Fame Douglas?"  
  
"You don't know either?" Ryu shook his head, and Hayate's brow creased visibly in worry. "Something's up," he said, and Ryu realized that this was the Mugen Tenshin addressing the Dragon clan, not as a friend to a friend. "Our fathers are worried about something, and it involves this Fame Douglas."  
  
They had already reached the village gates, and in response to Ryu's farewell, Hayate merely said: "Keep your ears open" before turning around and disappearing the way from whence they came.  
  
[1] Silly reference to T.S. Eliot XD 


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Just a quick cultural note. Compulsory education ends with middle school in Japan (grade 9 here). Considering that shinobi are raised the way they are, I find it hard to believe that the characters had high school education, even if you can unlock their high school uniform costumes. I'm going to assume that's all fan-service. Standard disclaimers apply.

Ryu dodged yet again and this time indulged in the taunt he had been biting back.  "Missed again!  You must be getting slow, old man!"

His once mentor and now sparring partner made a small grimace of annoyance and continued his furious attacks.  But Ryu, with youth or skill or a combination of both, managed to keep ahead, dodging them all.  And still, he retreated, until his back was dangerously close to the truck of a tree and it seemed as the elder's victory was assured.  But when he went in for the finishing move, he was surprised to find only a fistful of gentle sakura petals, and gaped openly at the gentle shower surrounding him, though no sakura trees were nearby.  By the time he remembered himself, he felt the bruising force colliding into the small of his back, sending him sprawling into the ground and winding up with a mouthful of sand.

The veteran warrior spat out the gravelly feeling in disgust and picked himself off the ground to face the triumphant Ryu.  The elder man grimaced and wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his former student's face, but grudgingly said, "Your skills have improved most rapidly as of late."  Ryu bowed his head in thanks.  "But do not let this go to your head!" he added sternly with a good thump to the said proffered subject.  Ryu rubbed his head ruefully, but properly repentant, thanked his master for the match and departed for where no one in the clan really knew.

The older man watched Ryu's fast disappearing form and sighed.  What he said was no lie: the boy's skills improved rapidly daily.  He had almost beat everyone in the entire clan, and the potential to become the most promising leader the Dragon clan ever had was definitely there.  And his sense of justice had if anything grown stronger and bolder.  But somewhere along the way Ryu was losing the single-minded focus he had carried with him so well from his childhood.  He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

His musings were cut short when he felt heard the light footfalls he recognized as the current clan head's, his dear friend and Ryu's father.  Ken Hayabusa glanced at the spot where the long gone boy had been and asked briefly, "Was that Ryu?"

He nodded.  "He's gone again."

Hayabusa grunted but said, "Never mind.  Maybe that's for the better.  I have something important to discuss with you."

His friend moistened his dry lips but didn't miss a beat.  "About the disappearances?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his leader nod.  "From China, this time.  One of the leading masters of Taijiquan."

"That would be the fifth disappearance in the past two months?"

Another nod.  "It can't be a coincidence.  And this isn't just some fool's fancy.  There's rumors of foul play."

The old man's face hardened.  "I don't like this.  I don't like this at all."

Hayate glanced up briefly from the stick he was whittling.  "You're late," was all he said.

Ryu shrugged and sat down heavily next to him on the veranda.  "Couldn't be helped.  One of the elders wanted a sparring match.  Where's Kasumi?"

"I dunno.  She went out earlier today with Hayashi for some training."

Ryu started.  "What?"

"What's wrong?"

Ryu remembered Hayashi.  He was one of the ones teasing Ayane the first day he visited the Mugen Tenshin.  And lately, Ryu remembered Hayashi's eyes following Kasumi constantly.  "I don't like Hayashi," he finally said, sullenly.

Hayate snorted.  "I don't either, but he's still Mugen Tenshin.  On top of that, they're the same level, so it makes sense for them to train together."

Ryu didn't find that very reassuring.

"Anyway," Hayate said, "you said you found out about Fame Douglas."

That snapped Ryu out of his reverie.  "Oh!  Right."  He fumbled around in his pouch and pulled out a crinkled newspaper clipping and showed it to Hayate.  "He's actually quite famous, so there's a lot of information on him.  Former U.S. General who served in the last Big War, and considering how that turned out, he's a big hero there.  He retired from active military duty shortly after and became a U.S. ambassador, and has probably visited every country in the world several times.  He also holds great ties to one of the largest genetics labs in the world as one of its biggest investors and founders.  Over the years, the company has sponsored several martial arts competitions all over the world under his authorization."

As Ryu related what he knew, Hayate's eyes quickly scanned the article, confirming most of Ryu's information.  "DOATEC?"

"Douglas' lab."

Hayate's brow furrowed in consternation.  Something about all this struck him as odd.  "Does it say why he's so interested in martial arts?"

Ryu shook his head.  "All I know is that he's hailed as a kind of patron saint to the 'deadliest of arts' or something like that."

Hayate frowned.  "I don't get it.  Just what is he after?"

Ryu glanced questioningly at his friend but didn't get the chance to ask what he meant, because at that moment a breathless Hayashi came running up.

"Hayashi?  Where's—"

"Hayate-san!" Hayashi gasped.  "Come quickly!  Kasumi-san and Ayane are fighting in the square!"  And with that, he took off, leading the way.

The two elder shinobi just stared after him for a moment.  "So what's all the fuss?" Ryu asked.

"Beats me," Hayate said, "Kasumi can hold her own against Ayane any day."  So saying, he got up leisurely and said, "Should we go watch?"

Ryu shrugged and merely followed.

The fight was indeed in full swing by the time they got there.  The two female combatants had already attracted quite a crowd that had formed a circle around them, watching intently and cheering on their favorite.  Actually, Ryu noticed, it was mostly people cheering on Kasumi.

            The fight must have been going for a while.  Ryu saw that Kasumi's face tinged with the rising dust their fight was creating, and the disheveled disarray of her _gi_, her sweat causing it to stick to her back, and the front was dangerously close to losing their tenuous position.  Ryu couldn't help but notice that Kasumi was quite the "early bloomer."  He shook his head to clear it.  He should be focusing on the fight.  Not…er, yeah, the fight.  

            Kasumi and Ayane were superb fighters, like the high-ranking kunoichi they were.  Their actions were precise with nothing held back.  Kasumi retreated a particularly vicious attack and was greeted with bursts of cheers and applause (and some boo-ing for Ayane).  

            Ryu clapped along with the rest of the crowd, but Hayate merely muttered, "Why isn't she fighting?  If she was serious this fight would be over by now."  Ryu said nothing and instead continued to watch as Kasumi dodged yet another attack, giving way to Ayane's aggressive offense.

            "C'mon, Kasumi-san!"

            "Get her, Kasumi-chan!"

            "You can do it!"

            Even Hayate offered, "Kasumi, finish her!"  Ryu noticed at Hayate's voice, Ayane's shoulders tensed momentarily, before she focused all her energies at attacking her opponent with renewed vigor.

            The crowd alternately groaned or whistled in astonishment at the deft block Ayane landed against Kasumi followed by a nearly successful flip, but no one seemed to acknowledge at least out loud the merit of the move.  Deciding he was finding this spectacle a tad unsportsman-like, Ryu decided to go for broke: "Ayane, ganbare!"

            The result was unexpected.  Not only was he greeted with a brief bout of silence around him, but Kasumi's head snapped up and she stared at him for a moment, shocked.  Taking advantage of her opponent's loss of focus, Ayane quickly hooked a boot behind Kasumi's leg, sending her flying onto her back, and before she even hit the ground, Ayane followed up her attack by launching herself after, slamming her entire weight braced on her knee into Kasumi's vulnerable stomach.  Ayane felt a surge of triumph at hearing the _whoosh_ of air forced out of Kasumi, and noticed with even a greater feeling of triumph that her opponent did not get up again.

            "Kasumi-san!" Hayashi was at her side in an instant, helping her up gently, all the while glaring daggers at Ayane.  "That was a dirty trick, pushing an opportunity like that!" he sneered.  "You wouldn't have won on normal circumstances."

"It's her fault that she lost focus," Ayane snapped.  "Any child knows not to do that, and it's a disgrace that the daughter of the Mugen Tenshin leader," Ayane practically spat the words, choking on them as if they were made of the most bitter bile, "gets distracted so easily.  She deserved what she got!"

"You're nothing compared to Kasumi-san, trash!" Hayashi cried, standing angrily.  Ayane readied herself in preparation for the confrontation.  She was going to make him eat those words.

"Enough," Hayate said, quickly coming between the two would-be combatants.  "Ayane won fairly," he said nodding his head in the Ayane's direction, but failed to notice the gratification in those eyes at even at such a minute gesture from him.

"But, Hayate-san!"

Hayashi's protests were silenced with a glare that brooked no argument.  "Kasumi was careless, and this will serve as a good lesson for her," he said, voice cold as ice.  No one said anything.

He didn't bother acknowledging Hayashi's submissive bow and instead brushed past him to the girl sitting up on the ground and knelt by her.  "Are you all right?" he asked gently.  Kasumi nodded but winced and rubbed her sore abdomen.  "Come on, let's get you home," he said, helping her up.  And though she managed to stand shakily, she at once threatened to wobble over.  Ryu was instantly at her side, putting a hand on her back to steady her.  Hayate crouched, back towards her, and she clambered on wearily.  Once she was comfortably settled piggy-backed, Hayate slowly stood and the three carefully made their way home, the crowd parting to let them through, and slowly filing out after them, leaving the lone victor to watch the slowly dissipating crowd.

Hayate gave one last look at the sleeping girl before sliding the door shut and joining his friend out in the verandah.  "We'll just let her sleep, shall we?"

            Ryu nodded.  "She must be exhausted.  She fell asleep on the way here."

            "Well, she did go training with Hayashi before she fought Ayane.  It's no wonder she lost."

            Ryu frowned at that comment.  "You're awfully hard on her."

            "Who?  Kasumi?"

            "No, Ayane."

            Hayate cast a sidelong glance at Ryu.  "Are you saying Kasumi would've lost anyway?"

            Ryu shook his head emphatically.  "No!  Kasumi would obviously win if she was at full strength.  But Ayane deserves some credit for holding her own."

            "I know that!" Hayate snapped.  "She's a great fighter.  She's just not as good as Kasumi is."

            "I know!" Ryu said impatiently.  "But it wouldn't hurt if you stopped antagonizing her every now and then.  Lord knows the rest of your clan does it enough."

            "_Antagonize_?"  Hayate's eyes flashed at the insinuation.  "I've always shown Ayane the same respect I'd give to any great fighter!"

            Ryu shook his head.  "God, you're so blind," he muttered.

            "What?"

            "No, nothing."

            "What did you _mean_, Hayabusa?"

            "I mean you hate Ayane because she bullies Kasumi, but you're probably the reason why she does it!"

            Hayate blinked, going from disbelief to anger.  "Wha…what the he—"

            But Ryu continued on without giving Hayate a chance to interject.  "Oh, come on.  If the Mugen Tenshin were like some other clans and you had to choose only one sibling to succeed you, you wouldn't hesitate which sister to take the knife to."

            Hayate flushed, but couldn't (or perhaps because he couldn't) deny it.

"She's your sister, Hayate.  You said it yourself."

"I _know_ that!" Hayate snapped.

"Then it wouldn't hurt if you acted like it sometimes," Ryu shot back.

Hayate opened his mouth to reply but quickly snapped it shut again.  Finally, he said, "You don't know what you're talking about."  Then, after stewing in heated silence for a moment longer, abruptly stood up and stalked off.

Ryu watched his friend leave and heaved a sigh.  The Mugen Tenshin were so stubborn.  And he did deserve to hear it.  But he couldn't help feel a certain measure of regret at having maybe overstepped his boundaries.  Was that justified?  Ryu wrestled mentally with these uncomfortable thoughts until he heard the door slide open, revealing a slightly disheveled, and very tired Kasumi.

She seemed surprised to see only Ryu standing there.  "Where's Nii-san?"

Ryu shifted uncomfortably.  "He…ah…went to go clear his head a bit."

"Oh," she said, her voice so quiet he almost didn't hear it.

Once again, Ryu felt like a jerk, and he had no idea why.  "Uh…are…your injuries better?"  As soon as he said it he smacked himself upside the head mentally.  _That's_ the best you can do?

She gave him a weak smile.  "I'm still sore, but I think I'll live."  Almost immediately her expression became subdued.  "Is…Nii-san mad at me?"

"What?  No!  Nothing like that!" he was quick to reassure her.  "We just had a disagreement."

"About Ayane?"

She never failed to surprise him.  "How did you…?"

Kasumi sighed.  "Nii-san has always been kind of touchy regarding Ayane.  He always respects her and is polite to her in public, but I don't think he really likes her."

Ryu grunted.  "I've noticed.  It seems to be a sport for the Mugen Tenshin to gang up on someone."

"Oh, no, Hayabusa-san!  It's not really like that.  It's…complicated."

"I know," he said softly.  "I heard."

She was only surprised for a moment.  "Then…you know it's been hard for my father.  And Nii-san.  Her presence, I mean.  My father loved my mother very much.  And I think that's why Nii-san can't think of Ayane as a sister.  Because he sees what Father sees…like she's some kind of reminder of Mother's betrayal."

Ryu frowned.  He hadn't thought of it that way.  But it was still unfair.  "And you?" he asked.  "What do you think of Ayane?"

"Me?"  She glanced down at her hands while she organized an answer in her head.  "I…I don't remember Mother very much.  She passed away when I was very young.  But…I've been told Ayane looks very much like her.  I don't think Mother ever meant to hurt any of us.  I don't think she ever meant to leave, and I don't think she would have unless she really did fall in love.  And I think…I'd like her as a sister, to remember her by.  I want to love her, the way I'm sure Mother must have loved her," she finished, with a small, sad smile on her face.

For a moment, he was at a complete loss for words.  When he could finally speak again, he said, "You're a brave person, Kasumi."

Kasumi's cheeks flushed pink and she quickly averted her gaze.  "No, I'm not.  Be-besides!  It was really…nice of you to stand up for Ayane like that."

Ryu blinked.  "Huh?"

"At—at the match.  You were the only one who cheered Ayane."

"Oh."  He had forgotten about that.

"_That_ was brave, Hayabusa-san," Kasumi said, trying to act somewhat bravely herself.

Ryu shrugged.  "It just didn't seem fair to have the everyone so against her," he said.  He grinned.  "I was actually expecting you to win."

For some reason, Kasumi felt something in her warm and spread pleasantly throughout her body, and she suddenly relaxed.  "I didn't, though," she said bashfully.  Ryu merely smiled.  Kasumi found she had to avert her gaze again, and silently berated herself for being so stupid.

She didn't know how long she was stuck in her own little world, but she snapped out of it suddenly when she realized he was looking at her quizzically.  Clearing her throat and grasping around for something, _anything_, she suddenly suggested, "How about I read your fortune, Hayabusa-san?"  Actually, it was more like a squeak.

Ryu blinked.  "My fortune?"

"Ye—yes!  Just for fun, of course," she quickly added when she caught his dubious look.  "It's just a hobby of mine," she said shyly, "and I'm not good or anything, but if you don't mind…"

Ryu grinned congenially.  "Why should I mind?"

She led him inside and motioned for him to seat himself at the low table before disappearing in the direction of her room and reappearing moments later with something in hand.  They appeared to be cards of some sort.

"They're tarot cards," Kasumi said, handing them over for closer inspection.  "They're my favorite deck.  Nii-san gave them to me on my last birthday." 

Curious, Ryu took one of the pristine cards between two fingers.  One side was relatively blank, but the other was covered with delicate drawings and various runic symbols he couldn't quite make out.  Every card appeared to be a little different, unlike the playing cards he was more familiar with.  He dutifully handed it back and watched, fascinated, as Kasumi expertly "washed" the cards and then cut the deck.

When she was finished, she said, "Now, Hayabusa-san, clear your mind."

"Hu-huh?  Wha--?"

"Sometimes it's okay to ask a question in guiding the outcome of the cards, but usually you'll just want to focus your essence into the cards so that they'll suggest a scenario to you."

He didn't get a word of that, but wasn't about to let her know that.  "Uh, sure, okay."

Kasumi nodded and began the placements, setting one down in front of her.  But the second card caused her to pause and frown.  "Hm."

"What?  What is it?"

She gestured to the card on the table.  "The first card represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue.  Your card was the Emperor, the card of authority, reason and structure.  This second card," she said, indicating the one she held in her hand, "represents the obstacle that stands in your way."  So saying, she laid said card perpendicularly over the first.

"The Tower.  Card of violent change, downfall, and revelation."

Ryu was kind of taken aback by her sudden seriousness.  "Is that…bad?"

Kasumi nodded.  "More often than not."  She placed the next card directly above the crossed ones.  "This card represents your goals.  The three of cups.  Abundance.  Strength of a community brought together, of family and friends.  Indicates the auspicious conclusion to a matter."

"Well, that's good," Ryu said, who, in spite of himself, felt slightly relieved.

"And this," she said, placing a card opposite to the last, "represents the foundation of that goal.  Oh!"  For some reason, Kasumi's face started turning red.  Ryu bent over for a closer look at the card that caused such a reaction.

"The Empress.  The card of femininity and matriarchy.  Represents fertility and motherhood, as well."  Ryu decided she was too flustered to ask questions.

She then placed a card to the left.  "This card represents something to be let go, a passing influence.  Seven of Swords.  Running away, isolation, doing things on one's own.  I think it's warning you not to be too independent, Hayabusa-san.  Don't be afraid to ask for help."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Placing a card to the right, she said, "This represents an approaching influence that should be embraced.  The knight of Swords: a fearless warrior. A person who inspires fear and awe through the purity of their purpose and the intensity of their intellect, speaking in an outspoken manner and with great influence. This person brings the swift initiation or conclusion of a conflict, through the decisive invocation of force."

"Sounds like Hayate," he mused.

Kasumi pursed her lips.  "I guess so.  I think it sounds a lot like you, though, Hayabusa-san."  Ryu had to admit, he was flattered.

She then began to start a column of four cards, bottom up.

"This position represents your role or attitude.  Justice.  The card of, well, justice and responsibility.  That _does_ sound a lot like you."

She then placed the next one directly above it.  "Nine of wands, reversed.  This card represents the environment of people you are dealing with," she explained.  "Beware of traitors, Hayabusa-san.

"This next card represents your hopes or an unexpected element that will come into play."  She set the "Lovers" card down and moved quickly onto the next card to cover up her embarrassment.  "And this last card represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on your course.  Look!" Kasumi held out the last card, smiling brightly.  

Ryu looked it over.  "The World?"

"It means," Kasumi said with a grin, "that everything is going to come out all right in the end.  No matter what."

Everyone in the Mugen Tenshin could intuitively tell when something was upsetting their future clan head.  The air around him suddenly radiated with tense vibes.  So when the other members of the Mugen Tenshin, even those who could conceivably hold their own in battle against him, saw him storming down their way, they immediately scuttled elsewhere.  After all, no use risking one's health unnecessarily.  Besides, it didn't look like he was just upset.

            Hayate was pissed.

            He didn't even notice the others scurrying for safety.  He was too busy playing back the conversation that he couldn't believe he just had.  And how dare he?  How dare Ryu pretend to know anything!  How could someone who wasn't even Mugen Tenshin ever understand?  He didn't know Hayate!  What did he know?

            His head snapped up as he realized he had somehow made his way to the main square.  Though mostly empty, off to the side Hayate noticed a clump of shinobi-in-training lounging around and chatting aimlessly.  They apparently had not noticed him yet.  Cracking his knuckles and with a feral grin, Hayate sauntered over and decided to see if Hayashi and friends wanted to help relieve some of his frustration.

Genra, resident master of the Hajin Mon ninjutsu in the Mugen Tenshin, arrived upon the scene just in time to see the end of Hayate's little tantrum.  He stood amazed as he watched the boy fast becoming a young man fighting with the skill of thousands of warriors past flowing through his veins.  Hayate let out a whoop as he aimed a kick at one of his opponent's rear end.  As the fight drew to a close, Genra could see the tension visibly leaking out of the boy's shoulders.

            Hayate sat with an audible thud on the ground, very satisfied.  Sure, maybe it was a little unsporting for him to pick on training warriors beneath his level, but there were three of them, which gave them more than generous compensation for that handicap.  He continued to sit oblivious to the three figures staggering painfully away but grew somber when he realized he had an audience.  He quickly stood and dusted himself off before bowing to the approaching master.  "Good evening, Genra-sama."

            The Hajin Mon master waved his hands as though to dismiss the title.  "Just 'Genra' is fine.  It won't due for the clan head to be addressing me in such a manner."

            "I'm not clan head yet, and you're still Master here," Hayate pointed out.

            This managed a chuckle from the elder.  "Fair enough.  But once you're leader here, I expect you to address me accordingly."

            "Of course," Hayate said, with a ghost of a grin.  

"That was some battle," Genra said, gesturing in the direction of the departed combatants.  "You've certainly mastered Tenjin Mon with flying colors."

Hayate made a short bow.  "Thank you.  Actually, sir, I've been thinking of coming back to the dojo."

"Yes, now that you've mastered Tenjin Mon, what _will_ you do to occupy your time?  I'm sure you could master Hajin Mon just as quickly."  He paused as he seemed to think something over.  "Actually…I was in the process of designing an endurance exercise for Ayane.  But if you're interested, I could modify it so that you could join in."

            Hayate immediately responded with enthusiasm.  "That'd be great!  What kind of endurance exercise?"

            Genra smiled at Hayate's exuberance.  Ah, to be young again.  "I've yet to work out the particulars.  But it will last multiple days, and will definitely include some battles in between."

            Hayate grinned.  "Sounds fun."

            "Yes, well, I daresay you and Ayane will be more than up to the challenge.  Yes…I think some team exercises will be good for Ayane.  You see," the elder teacher confessed, slightly abashed, "Ayane never really gets along with my other students.  It doesn't help she's so advanced over them, but she has your mother's temper," he added with a laugh.  Hayate pretended to laugh along.  "At any rate, I'll send someone by when I have all the details worked out to let you know when it commences."  And with that, he turned to leave when Hayate's voice called him back.

            "Genra-sama, would it be all right if I brought Kasumi along?"

            "Of course.  She's another promising talent, if I ever saw one."

            "Thank you, sir," Hayate said, giving a deep bow of farewell before going his separate way.

It wasn't until he was looking up at his home in the settling sun that Hayate finally thought to be if not nervous, uncomfortable.  The spat with Ryu suddenly played in his mind, and a prickly feeling best described as guilt started to trickle into his stomach.  Vaguely, he wondered if Ryu went home.  But any hope of taking the easy way out was immediately squashed when he heard the sounds of muffled conversation just as he approached the door.

            "…they're not really answers, you see.  More like hints or tips.  Even 'Arcana' means 'secrets'."

            "Arcana?"

            "Those cards there."

            "Oh."  There was the sound of shuffling.  "How long have you been studying all this?"

            "Not very long," Kasumi's voice confessed.  "With training and school, I don't really have much time.  I can hardly wait to when I don't have to go to school anymore.  Maybe I'll have some time to look into Dowsing and stuff."

            Hayate heard Ryu chuckle.  "No, you're going to miss it.  You don't know how good you had it until it ends."

            In a small voice, Kasumi asked, "Do you…miss it?"  And suddenly Hayate knew she wasn't just talking about school anymore.  It was incredible to think how just a few years ago, he himself had a life outside of the order.  A normal life.

            "Well, sometimes I…."

            Something within Hayate welled up.  Such talk was useless.  This is just the way they were born.  Deciding that he left those two alone long enough, he threw open the door and gave a loud resounding "Tadaima," though perhaps unnecessarily considering that they were only about five feet from him when he entered the room.  Kasumi looked up, surprise evident on her face.  If Ryu had been surprised, the look had already faded away and only an uncertain look remained that Hayate found himself returning.  Goddamn, he hated apologizing.

            Fortunately, Kasumi interrupted this awkward silence by speaking first.  "Nii-san, where did you go?"

            Hayate's attention snapped back towards his sister.  "Oh, I…just met Genra-sama.  It looks like we're going to be doing some more endurance training soon."  As predicted, Kasumi clapped her hands in delight.  But still left Ryu more or less puzzled.

            "Endurance training?"

            Kasumi eagerly nodded.  "Genra-sama makes these really fun exercises for Ayane and sometimes he lets us do them too.  One time we trained for three days where we had to fight—"

            "Bears?"

            "NO!"  Mou, would they _never_ let her live that down?  "We fought against these 'sniper teams' that basically dropped surprise attacks on us at random for the three days."  In Kasumi's memory, she remembered those three days as possibly the longest she'd ever had.  Never being able to fully rest, always at danger—it had been exciting nonetheless.

            "Sounds fun," Ryu said congenially and a touch absently, focused more on her bright smile than what she was saying exactly.

"Yeah," Hayate said, trying to segue his interruption by clearing his throat a little too forcefully to ever really be natural, "but it's also hard.  This is serious training.  And…if you want…I could ask Genra-sama to let you in on it.  If you're up to it, of course."  There, he made the first gesture.  Satisfied?

And Ryu saw it.  The ball was in his court, and he willingly launched it back.  "Is that a challenge?" he asked in mock indignation.  Apology accepted, jerk.  He wasn't one to stay mad very long anyway.

            "I mean, I won't be held responsible to your father if something happens to you.  Because I can't watch your back all the time."

            "You just worry about yourself and hope that I don't have to save your sorry ass from getting into trouble."

            Kasumi was obviously thrilled at the possible addition to their party, but couldn't resist adding, "Oh, don't worry, Nii-san.  I'll make sure _both_ you and Hayabusa-san are kept safe!"

            Hayate scowled at his would-be bodyguard.  "More competition, eh?  You may be my sister, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you."

            "I know, Nii-san.  I'll try not to go too easy on you either."

            And Hayate, momentarily at peace, allowed himself that rare indulgence of forgetting that in a matter of days he, his sister, and his best friend would practice putting their lives on the line for the sake of a code that he himself was starting to question.  At the moment, he could have easily been planning a school trip.  He didn't have to think about the future, or how vulnerable the Mugen Tenshin and all those he held dear really were.

             And even if these were the things of hopeless dreams and bygone days, even if these were the beginnings of how things fall apart, they were the stuff that made life worth living for.


	4. Chapter 4

If anyone could see it, no one would suspect anything was wrong with the building. Except for its rather isolationist location and stark, foreboding structure, it was on the whole a completely ordinary building with only a small plaque stamped with the words DOATEC to differentiate it in any way.  But even this most humble of buildings would draw at least mild curiosity if by some chance someone happened to be standing outside at that ungodly hour of night and saw the top most floor all alit as though full operations were still continuing.

            This hypothetical observer would be disappointed to know, however, that the floor was in fact mostly empty.  Out in the sterile hallway, beneath fluorescent lights, a lone woman walked purposefully towards the office at the end of the hall, her heels giving off harsh clicks as they hit the linoleum.  She didn't bother knocking once she reached the door.  She knew she was expected.

            The man sitting behind the desk didn't bother looking up as he heard the door close.  In fact, he chose not to say anything for a several moments, instead finishing up the documents he was perusing.  When he finally did finish, he languidly looked up and acknowledged his waiting guest without bothering to get up.  "Christie."

            The woman didn't seem at all phased by his deliberate indifference and remained at attention.  "You wanted to see me?"

            He tossed a nearby folder rather unceremoniously towards her.  Her eyes flickered questioningly towards it then back to him.  "Have you seen this?" he prompted.

            Christie picked up the folder and glanced through its pages.  "The 'Dead or Alive Tournament'?"

            The man grimaced.  "Douglas' newest pet project."

            Christie nodded and tucked the report under her arm.  "I'll see that the rest of the Faction vetoes it at the next board meeting."

            But she was surprised to see him shake his head.  "No, no, Christie.  I think we'll leave this one alone."

            "Sir?"

            "This may actually work in our favor," he said.  Then Victor Donovan smiled, an action rare to his face and one that was never, ever pleasant.  It was all Christie needed to know this Dead or Alive tournament was going to be something big.

High in the mountaintops of Japan, someone else was having a rather sleepless night.  Ryu Hayabusa tossed and turned, and eventually gave up.  Throwing back the covers of his futon in an attempt to help with the heat, he lay there guiltily enjoying the last vestiges of the particularly vivid dream until it faded completely.  Then he sighed and got up, deciding going back to sleep was not a viable option.  He might as well train for a bit and burn off all this excess energy.

            Ryu was once again able to witness a spectacular sunrise coming over the eastern mountains by the time he was about done.  It was becoming more and more common for his days to start this early, and he figured he should probably do something about it.  It wasn't healthy, he reasoned as he headed down to the creek to wash up, and Hayate would _kill_ him if he knew what was going on.

            He splashed water onto his face and enjoyed the ice-cold feel as it ran down his hot skin.  He felt too good to bother turning around at the soft footsteps behind him and chose to wait for the person he knew was there to come up and join him while he continued to relish the feel.

            "Mornin', Ryu."  Akira Ryuuzaki was not at all surprised to find him there.  He heard Ryu had been training in the early hours more frequently recently.  Ryu barely nodded over his shoulder before continuing to wash up.  Akira continued, "Or is it, 'good morning, Master Hayabusa'?"

            Ryu made a face.  "You don't have to say that."

            Akira chuckled.  "You should probably get used to it, though, Ryu.  Sooner or later, you'll have to."  Ryu said nothing.  Undaunted, Akira continued: "You're certainly an early riser nowadays.  More training?"

            "You could say that."

            Akira snorted.  "Why?  You've already beat most of the elders, and you're already way ahead of most shinobi of your level.  You can't _get_ any more ahead.  Or…is this for something else?"  His companion didn't say anything in response.  "You know, Ryu…lately, you've been disappearing randomly.  The elders don't say anything about it, because you still keep up with your training, but the rest of us never see you anymore."

            Ryu shifted uncomfortably and avoided Akira's eyes.  "I've…just been around."

            "Where?"  

            Ryu tried to ignore Akira's piercing stare.  "Around," he repeated lamely.

            "You know, there's been a lot of rumors flying around," Akira said slowly, keeping his eyes trained on Ryu for any hint of reaction.

            "Yeah?"  Ryu tried to keep his voice steady.

            "Some people are saying you've been secretly training with some powerful master outside our clan.  Which is ridiculous, since it's forbidden to take the Hayabusa ninjutsu out of our clan, right?"  Again, no reaction.  "Some other people have been saying you have a girl stashed somewhere and you've been going off to see her.  Akane's livid."

            Ryu grimaced.  "Look, I know she's your sister and all, but…"

            Akira waved the rest of Ryu's reply away, "I know, I know.  I keep telling her you don't have any interest in her, but she still thinks she has a chance.  Don't worry about it."

            "Thanks."

            "Hey, Ryu?"

            "What?"

            "Where _do_ you go?"  When he still didn't get a response, he added, "Hey, didn't we used to be best friends?"

            "We're still friends," Ryu said, a bit defensively.

            "Sometimes I wonder.  We used to tell each other everything, but lately I haven't even seen you around."

            "I…"  Ryu felt the weight of guilt suddenly crashing down on him.  He hadn't even realized how much he had changed.  He recalled back all he and Akira had been through, and felt like he had betrayed those memories.  When had he started to prefer the company of Hayate to his childhood friend?  "Sorry," he mumbled, embarrassed.

            "It's all right.  I understand.  But…"

            "But?"

            "How about next time I go with you?"

            Ryu was stumped.  On one hand, he felt really bad about ignoring his friend, but he didn't think Hayate would be too keen on the entire Dragon clan taking field trips to the secret hold of the Mugen Tenshin.  Fortunately, at that moment they heard the distant sound heralding the beginning of another day for the village.  Saved by the gong.  Ryu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We'd better get going."  Not waiting to see if Akira was following, Ryu sped back home.

"Let's spar" was the very first thing Hayate said to him the next time he saw him, which is how they ended up in the courtyard on the beautiful spring day trying to pummel each other into the ground.  Oh, sure, mused Ryu between blows, no 'hey, long time no see' or even a 'how you doin'?'  Don't see your friend in a long time and the first thing you want to do is knock him on his ass.  But, to be fair, it'd probably be Ryu's reaction, too.

            Ryu belatedly realized his mind should not be wandering when locked in combat as he found himself being pushed back to the edge of their fighting area.  Quickly spinning out of the way so that Hayate's knuckles grazed the trunk of the tree instead of his face, he maneuvered so that he was opposite where he was before, facing the tree.  

It was one of the cherry blossoms that lined the entire courtyard, and in its full bloom it was indeed truly magnificent, the kind the elders of his clan would write haikus about on a day like this, and despite his situation, he allowed his eyes to quickly scan up in admiration.  The white branches full of pale pink blossoms seemed to float against the sky.  As he started to lower his gaze, his eyes caught a slight rustle; narrowing his eyes, he sought to bring whatever was hidden into focus.  And when he finally discerned what it was, Ryu forgot to breathe.  There nestled within the branches sat Kasumi, surrounded by the pink blossoms, eyes demurely lowered as she continued to weave a few branches into a circlet, stopping only to pluck another delicate branch when needed.  Was it the pink of the blossoms that added color to her cheeks?  Had her skin always glowed like that, or was it the cold early spring?  Completely oblivious to what was going on below her, she, the very picture of serenity, continued on her peaceful task, with only the wind to tug gently on the bright hair swept up into a long ponytail.

He never saw that left hook coming.

He grunted as he skid to a halt a few feet away and started to pick himself up.  Hayate, looking like a cat that just ate a canary, came over to gloat.

"Man, I totally kicked your ass!"

Ryu hissed in annoyance.  "Only because you took a cheap shot."

"What are you talking about?  You were wide open!"

"Yeah, well, only because I got distracted," Ryu shot back.

Hayate gave him an amused smirk.  "And what was _so_ distracting, oh great Super Ninja?"  

Before he could stop himself, Ryu felt his eyes involuntarily glance up at the tree.  Shit!  That was really dumb of him!  Panic start to trickle in and Ryu glanced worriedly at Hayate.  It was only a for a second, maybe he didn't notice…

No such luck.  Hayate had already turned and followed his line of sight to exactly what Ryu had seen moments ago.  The smile that was growing on the Mugen Tenshin heir's face froze where it was and Ryu could see his eyes widen visibly.  He stood there for a while, absolutely frozen and silent.  But when he finally turned back towards Ryu, it was like Hayate was seeing his friend for the first time.

 "Ryu…" Hayate's throat felt incredibly dry all of a sudden and even to his ears his voice seemed hoarse.  "Ryu…you…"  

Ryu just flushed guiltily and had no way to answer his friend.  He was relieved when he saw a Mugen Tenshin ninja run up behind Hayate and announce that Genra wanted to see him at once, but Hayate ignored the messenger shinobi and continued to stare at his friend.

"Uh…Hayate-san?" the messenger ventured when he still didn't get a response.  "Should I tell him you're coming?"

Hayate sighed and finally turned around.  "Yeah, we'll follow you."  And then he called for Kasumi, but not before sending a look over his shoulder clearly stating that this business was far from finished before motioning for his friend to join them.

"This exercise," Genra said when they were all gathered at the Hajin Mon dojo, "will last for three days.  Ayane, sit down.  I want you to hear this, too."  The girl nodded and set down the tray with tea mugs and obeyed.  "Now," he continued, "it will be conducted in teams of two.  No supplies—food, water, weapons—are allowed.  You're ninja—find them yourself.  During this time you could face combat from various teams stationed through the training area, so be alert."

            Kasumi tentatively raised a hand.  "Genra-sama?  What's the goal of this exercise?"

            Genra smirked and from the folds of his _gi_ took out a tiny silver bell and held it up for them all to see.  "This."  The disbelief in all faces he found rather gratifying.  "The first team to retrieve this wins." [1]

            That didn't bode well with her at all, but swallowing the increasing nervousness, Kasumi ventured to ask, "And…where is the exercise to take place?"

            Genra's smirk grew.  He gestured out the window, and immediately all eyes turned to face the vast expanse of thick forest stretching until it blended with the misty foothills of the distant mountains.  "What you see.  All of it."  His students sat dumbfounded.  "Well," Genra continued, in a chipper voice, "if that's all the questions, I'll see you all at sunrise in two days."

Dinner was a rather quiet affair.  Ryu Hayabusa sat next to his father while his mother sat opposite to them.  So far, the only time either of them said a word was to ask for seconds.  Ryu stole another look at his father.  He didn't seem to be in a good mood right now, but he was going to have to say it soon.  "Father…"

            Ken Hayabusa started out of his daze and looked sharply at his son.

            This boded well.  It meant that whatever was troubling the Dragon clan had absolutely nothing to do with Ryu.  "Father," he tried again, "I'd like to request a three day absence."         

His father looked puzzled, as though this request came completely from left-field, but Ryu's mother looked positively alarmed.  "Why?  Where are you going?" she demanded.

Ryu shrugged.  "Training," he said vaguely.

"You have training to do here," she said firmly.  "You'll fall behind."

"Mother, I've taken care of all that.  There will be no complications," Ryu said rather peevishly.  He wasn't a child!

She pursed her lips into a tense line.  "You're not leaving."

Something pricked in the back of Ryu's mind.  "Why can't I leave?  What's going on that I don't know about?" he asked quietly.  There was no reason for this kind of paranoid reaction.  His mother flushed guiltily and looked away, giving no answer.  Ryu turned to his father (who was giving his mother a cross look) and repeated his queries.  "What's happening?"

"Nothing you should be concerned with," his father said gruffly.  "You have my permission to go."

"Father--!"

"Ryu, that's enough.  I will answer no more questions."  And then, perhaps to mollify the sullen silence that followed, he amended, "You shall learn if the time comes."  It wasn't a very comforting statement, and it chilled him to the bone when his father, getting up to go to bed, said, "Ryu, be careful" before leaving the room.

Ayane slid the door open quietly, so as not to disturb the figure inside.  But it wasn't softly enough.  Genra looked up at the sound and smiled warmly when he saw his adopted daughter standing hesitantly in the doorway, a cup of steaming tea on a tray in her hands.  He motioned for her to come in.

            Ayane gently set the cup down on a spot on the table not covered by papers and settled herself next to him.  "It's late, Father.  Shouldn't you go to bed and finish up tomorrow?"

            Genra chuckled.  "Ever the mother hen," he said fondly, brushing a few stray strands of hair from her face.  "I'm almost done."

            "Are these the team assignments for the exercise?"  Genra grunted in the affirmative.  "I see," she said, casting her eyes down into her lap.  Should she ask?  She bit her lip in hesitation.

            "Ayane?"

            "Y-yes, Father?"

            "Is there something you wanted?"

            Ayane fought the urge to blush.  "Wha—what makes you say that?"

            Genra pointed at her hands, which had managed to twist themselves in the edge of her skirt.  "Your hands always fidget when you're nervous."  He laughed as Ayane flushed.  "Well?"

            "I was wondering…who I was paired up with."

            "Well, let's see," Genra said, scanning over his papers.  "Let's see…looks like…Kasumi."

            The displeasure was evident.  "Kasumi?"

            "You don't get along with her very well," Genra said.  "This will be a terrific opportunity for you two to work on that."

            Ayane resisted the urge to protest, even though internally she was throwing a major tantrum.  "I see."

            "You're not pleased."  It wasn't really a question.

            "No," she admitted, "but I shall follow what you think best, Father."

            Her response made Genra smile a touch wistful.  Yes, he expected she'd say something like that.  She never said a word against him.  She never complained to him, never unfolded her troubles.  She never burdened him at all.  Just the way he knew she sought to.  He shook his head.  Ah, my poor child….  "Is there anything else?" he pressed.

            "I…" Ayane blushed again, "was wondering who Hayate-san was paired with."

            Genra scanned over his lists again.  "With the Dragon clan, that Hayabusa-san."

            "Ah."  Well, at least it wasn't another girl.  "I see.  Thank you, Father.  Good night," she said, with a short bow, and left the room.

            Genra watched her go.  After a moment of contemplation, he picked up his brush and continued to adjust his lists.

Hayate bit back a yawn.  Despite years of training and getting up with the dawn, he wouldn't mind sleeping in a bit later than the average shinobi was supposed to.  But that's life for you.  He shot an annoyed look at his younger sister, who, unlike him, appeared to be a morning person.  If this constituted as morning.

            In the pre-dawn darkness Hayate made out the shadowy figure of his friend and bade him good morning.  "Get away all right?" he asked congenially.

            Ryu cast another glance over his shoulder.  "I think so."

            "All right," Hayate said, between more yawns.

            Ryu didn't bother hiding his amusement.  "You know, I fear for the Mugen Tenshin if their future leader is this lazy."

            "Bite me, Hayabusa."

            "I'm sorry, Hayabusa-san," Kasumi interrupted gently, but casting a withering look at Hayate.  "Nii-san isn't really a morning person."

            Ryu grinned impishly at her.  "Then I pity anyone with morning assignments in your clan once Hayate becomes head."

            "So do I," she laughed.

            "That'll be enough of that, you two," Hayate growled, but not really annoyed.  "Let's get going before Genra starts this without us.

            The three headed towards the horizon beginning to glow with the first of dawn's pale light, facing the new day head on.

[1] I swear I had this scenario planned out before I even heard of Naruto.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: I'm baaaaaaack! * crickets chirp* Well, for those of you still reading (if there _are_ any of you still reading), I'd like to apologize for the huge break, and I figure I owe you an explanation.  You see, my older brother, who this fic was originally written for, and I came at something of a tiff.  You see, he told me he didn't like Naruto, and what's more, _refused_ to like it.  Now, I would _not_ accept that, so basically set down an ultimatum: if he refuses to watch Naruto, I refuse to fic.  Needless to say, he has made it to the second season ^-^  Let's give him a hand, everyone!

            I'd also like to apologize for this chapter.  There's no real action, but it does have a purpose, I swear!  And don't worry, the proverbial shit hits the fan soon!  So, doozo, chapter five.

            Standard disclaimers apply.   

They were the last ones to arrive.  But because it was Hayate-san and Hayabusa-san, none of the Mugen Tenshin was going to say anything, even if some did discreetly cast annoyed glances in their direction.  But when they caught Ayane's threatening glare, they quickly looked elsewhere.  For his part, Hayate had the gall to look completely unaffected at having kept the rest of them waiting, and instead blinked blearily, meeting Genra's gaze unconcernedly.  Genra frowned, but then couldn't help but smile.  Hayate was a smart-ass to the core, and he brought with him an unprecedented disrespect for the rules.  Genra had yet to decide whether this was a strength or a weakness.  Either way, the future of the Mugen Tenshin was going to be interesting, and he silently applauded this young man in front of him.  Hayate had already won his loyalty and respect.  He wasn't about to lose it just because he overslept.

            "Well, then," Genra said, addressing the crowd, "we'll release you in pairs at intervals of 10 minutes each."

            There were a few murmurs of complaints.  "That's not enough time," someone whined.

            "Then I suggest you _run_," Genra replied complacently.  "Now, when I call your names, please come forward here, and wait until I give you the signal to enter the forest.  Maru and Hikaru."  Two came forward to the spot indicated.  Genra checked his watch and when the time came, said, "Now" and they were off, disappearing into the thick mass of trees.

            "Ayane and Hayate."

            His daughter looked up in absolute shock.  "Quickly now," he said, confirming that secret kernel of hope that blossomed at his words.  She got up and stood next to him, eyes fixed determinedly forward.  But before he sent them off, he heard the soft "thank you" uttered under her breath before they too were gone.

            Kasumi watched her brother disappear and was utterly shocked to find herself release a breath of relief.  Immediately, she tried to squelch that thought.  It was horrible of her, to be glad that she wasn't paired with Ayane.  It would have been good for both of them, she reasoned, to be paired together.  If they couldn't settle their differences in the field, how could they expect to be proper kunoichi?  

But the feeling of having escaped a fate worse than death still wouldn't leave her.  And she realized with a shock that…that—that she hated Ayane.  _Hated_ her.  She feared her wrath and envied her strength.  Just being near her set every fiber in Kasumi's body tense with nervousness and dislike.  Unbidden, her treacherous mind mockingly played back a not too distant memory.  Love her, had she said?  What a joke.  How was she supposed to do that when her body reacted like a gazelle that sensed a predator nearby?  It was innate—a survival instinct.  How was she supposed to convince herself to love Ayane when her own subconscious wouldn't let her?

            Her mind was in such turmoil that she started when she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder.  She looked up in surprise to meet Ryu's eyes.  "It's our turn," he said.  She nodded, mind scrambling to pull herself together, as she joined him at the starting point.  She threw all her efforts into just plunging into the forest, so much that her surroundings blurred by her in a mess of earthy green and brown, and Ryu had to concentrate just to keep up with her.

            He let her be until he heard the faint sound of running water, at which point he had to throw a shuriken at the next branch she was planning to leap onto just to get her attention.  He motioned for her to follow him.

            They found the stream pretty quickly.  Unbuckling the empty flask he carried on his belt, he dunked it into the running water to fill it and tossed it to Kasumi before he cupped his hand to take a quick drink himself.  He waited as she threw back a deep drink, her gasp of satisfaction betraying her weariness, until she was wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before asking, "Do you want to talk about it?"

            Kasumi looked up in surprise.  She hesitated at first, but eventually shook her head.  "I didn't know I was so bad at hiding my emotions."

            "Well," Ryu said with a grin, "you're not really.  I just know because it's you."  Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he said something wrong.  His statement made Kasumi's mouth drop open and her eyes bug out.   Inexplicably, he felt embarrassed.  "I mean," Ryu amended quickly, "I know you pretty well.  So…"  It didn't seem to work.  If anything it made things worse: her face turned beet-red and the flustered silence deepened.  Ryu, he thought to himself, you have _got_ to stop putting your damn foot in your damn mouth!  "…Sorry," he finally said, lamely.

            Kasumi shook her head furiously.  "No!  It's okay!" she protested.  "I mean," she said, taking a deep breath, "it makes me really happy to hear you say that."

            ….Oh.  Suddenly, it was Ryu's turn to have no idea what to say back.

            He was vaguely surprised to hear her break the silence: "Hayabusa-san, what do you think of Ayane?"

            "Ayane?"  Kasumi nodded.  Vaguely, he got the sensation that this was a loaded question and he should be very careful in how he answered.  "She's…an amazing kunoichi.  As I'm sure you know."

            Kasumi looked far away.  "I do," she said faintly.

            "And…."  What did she want him to say?  "Her resilience is incredible.  She faces a lot of opposition, but she still tries really hard and stays focused.  Even I don't think I could do that," Ryu confessed, surprised to hear himself say that.  "I really admire her for that."

            "I see."  Kasumi stifled a sigh and fell silent.

            Ryu frowned.  "You know, you shouldn't feel like you have to prove anything against Ayane.  You're a great kunoichi, too."

            Slowly, she shook her head.  "I'm not."

            "Yes, you—"

            "No, I'm not," Kasumi interrupted, the bitterness audible this time.  "Did you know that Ayane has already had real missions, Hayabusa-san?"  Ryu said nothing, but his face showed that he wasn't surprised at all.  "She…told me what she did.  How she killed a man she had never met before."

            _It was easy, Kasumi.  Just in, and then out.  If you aim for the throat, they don't even have time to scream._

            "And she was so…collected, when she said that.  Her eyes were so cold."  She shivered at the memory.  And the mocking voice echoed somewhere in the recesses of her mind.  _But, of course, as the daughter of the Mugen Tenshin head, you knew that already, didn't you?_

            Kasumi's mouth went dry, but she whispered, "And that was when I realized, that that was what made a great ninja."

            _One year your junior, and already surpassing you!  You should be ashamed!  One day you will be expected to lead this clan.  I did not raise my daughter to be such a weakling and disgrace._

The heat of frustration and humiliation that didn't all necessarily come from envy flushed across her face, and despite knowing that modesty told her she should _shut up_ right now, the angry words kept spilling from her mouth like a torrent she couldn't keep at bay.  "I am my father's daughter!  I must uphold the glory of the Mugen Tenshin!  I must become stronger!  I…I…"  

_I'm so afraid._

She started when she felt the light touch of Ryu's hand on her shoulder.  She looked up, shaken, into his concerned eyes and was momentarily amazed to see herself reflected there that she almost missed his soft words.  "Ayane does her job well," Ryu said gently.  "From what I'm told, she's one of the most efficient in her class.  But that's not necessarily what makes a ninja great."

The questioning look he got prompted him to explicate: "I'm not sure how it is necessarily for a guild like the Mugen Tenshin," he admitted.  "The Dragon clan was created for the purpose of training elite bodyguards for the Emperor.  And when we did—that other kind of stuff—our guiding principle is to maintain and serve justice, and protect the greater good."

"Unlike the Mugen Tenshin, you mean," Kasumi said, half bitterly, half defensively.

"Your clan operates very differently from ours," Ryu said, "like many other rival clans.  If it wasn't for this alliance, I wouldn't have had a single clue how a clan like yours operates."

 "I'm sorry you're wasting your time with merciless killers, then!" Kasumi spat.

Ryu was quick to placate her.  "That's not what I meant.  I mean, that's what I was trying to get at."  Kasumi cast him a dubious glare.  "Listen, being here has opened my eyes.  Until I came here, the only way of the ninja I knew was what I was taught.  I thought that the only way to be a great ninja was to follow the rules of the elders to the letter.

"But I was wrong, Kasumi.  You and Hayate taught me that strength _can_ be measured in different ways.  When I used to see so-called 'great' shinobi, I respected them, but I also feared them.  Because they seem so…merciless to me.  But you and Hayate aren't like that.  I want to be like that, too."  Ryu paused, watching her wide, bright eyes absorb everything he said, and saw that spark of hope flicker across them.  Something warm spread throughout Ryu's chest as he realized how he had come to cherish that.  _I want to do it for you,_ he wanted to say.  Instead, he lowered his voice conspiratorially, "And do you know what?  I've actually become _stronger_."

The smile was slow to bloom, but when it appeared, was the warmest Ryu could remember.  "Thank you," she said simply.

Ryu grinned, and was about to respond, when he suddenly felt a presence nearby.  He felt Kasumi go tense as well.  They looked at each other and read what plainly each was thinking: an attack.  Nodding, they moved into position to get ready.

They barely had time to settle into their defensive positions before six shinobi dressed in black landed almost without a sound in a ring surrounding them.  Back to back, Kasumi and Ryu waited for them to make the first move.

            They took it.  The first, and perhaps extremely impetuous, ninja to launch a flying kick in Ryu's direction immediately felt himself flying in a kind of reverse trajectory.  His fellows, seeing their companion so easily thwarted, were more cautious.  For a few, tense moments, all Kasumi and Ryu could do was watch as the remaining five sized them up.

            As if planned ahead, suddenly all five jumped up into the air.  Ryu, narrowed his eyes, calculated as fast as he could.  Looking for an opening?  He wasn't planning on giving it them.  As soon as they seemed to be coming down, Ryu dashed forward, and he hoped Kasumi would do the same.  Staying locked in a trapped position like that would be disadvantageous.  Better to split up and at the same time split their opponents' forces.  Textbook response.

            He made them chase him to a nearby clearing.  When he felt as though he put enough distance between them, he quickly spun around.  Three.  That meant Kasumi got two.  Good.  He pressed his sudden about face to his advantage.  He took the nearest pursuer off guard and rammed him fully into the unyielding trunk of a tree.  Ryu only heard the grunt as the man's breath was pushed forcibly out of him before the body slid down to the ground, unconscious.  The other two stopped a short distance away, realizing any hasty moves against this shinobi could be dangerous.  Warily, they waited.  But Ryu was patient, too.  He wanted them to come to him.

            Eventually, they rose to the bait.  Coming in at different angles, they obviously wanted to take Ryu down at its point.  Ryu easily feinted backwards, not enough to get out of their sight, but enough to make it out of their range.  Lured by the promise of 'just a little bit more!' the shinobi pursued, bit by bit, until finally they got frustrated.  One signaled to his companion by the sudden aggressiveness in his stance that he was going to take one final charge and his companion followed.  

            Ryu watched them come at an alarming speed, and smirked.  And despite the fact that his attackers were charging forward with the destructive power of a bullet train, his face showed no fear, and he showed no sign of intending to move.  

            With about ten seconds left till imminent death, Ryu Hayabusa serenely closed his eyes and disappeared in a flurry of leaves and cherry blossom petals.

            One of the would-be attackers realized just a moment before he screeched to a halt.  Unfortunately, his thoughts were not quite as coordinated for the other to recognize the same and follow in the split second later.  As a result, the two ninja collided and stumbled in a decidedly clumsy heap.  Untangling their limbs from each other, they quickly picked themselves up and tried to get ready, but it was all ready too late.  Ryu couldn't help but flash a cocky grin before he conked their heads together.  A sound much like two coconuts banging together echoed a bit and then two bodies slumped to the ground.

            Ryu rifled through the unconscious bodies and pilfered their daypacks.  When he was done, he turned around to see Kasumi standing in the distance, mouth hanging open with what could only be open admiration.  Ryu merely tossed her one of the packs, starting Kasumi out of her daze to hastily receive it.

            "Looks like we've got dinner taken care of," Ryu said.  A nod was his response, as the kunoichi thoughtfully fingered a frayed edge of the pack.

            "Come on," Ryu said.  "Let's get moving."

            "A-ano…Hayabusa-san?"

            "Hm?"

"Can you…teach me how to do that?" she asked shyly, her cheeks flushing slightly.  

"Teach you?"

"That teleportation jutsu.  That was amazing.  I've never seen anything like that."

Ryu started.  Alarm bells were going off in his head.  Of course she hadn't seen anything like it before; it was a special move of the Hayabusa clan.  Something, he realized, that was supposed to be forbidden to show anyone outside of mortal combat.  In which case you didn't expect the opponent to live to tell the tale about it anyway.

Uh-oh.

Ryu cleared his throat, awkwardly.  "Well…you see…we're not….  I mean…"

Kasumi seemed to know what he was trying to say.  She nodded her head resignedly.  "I understand, Hayabusa-san."  Ryu couldn't help but feeling like a jerk, again.

"It's just…" she said, "I….I want to be stronger, too.  If…you'll help me?"

Well…that cinched it.  He supposed one _little_ jutsu wouldn't hurt….

Hayate was having a little bit too much fun, if you asked the ninja he had just finished throttling within an inch of his life.  _This was only training!_ was the protest that died on his lips before everything went black.

            Hayate dusted his hands off as he looked over the black heap of unconscious bodies with satisfaction.  He heard the soft footfalls of Ayane running up to him shortly after.  "Hayate-san!"  

He turned and grinned at her.  Considering she was standing there, a little worn but otherwise perfectly fine, he'd say they won a decisive victory.  "Good work, Ayane."  

The girl flushed with pride and quietly accepted his compliment.  "We should continue moving, Hayate-san," she said.

But instead, Hayate chose to flop down on the ground.  "Nah, let's take a break for a bit.  I think we deserve it after all that."  Ayane, though inwardly anxious to get moving, carefully sat down and folded her hands nervously in her lap, occasionally glancing around for any other possible attacks.

Seemingly oblivious, her partner lay down and folded his arms behind his head.  For a few moments, Hayate merely watched the clouds rolling by overhead.  They were fascinating, really.  Clouds.  Something that free shouldn't be in such a hurry, he mused.  Or maybe they could because they had nothing to stop them.  "Ayane?"

Ayane's head snapped up.  "Ye—yes?"

"There's something I want to talk to you about, actually," Hayate said, still transfixed on the clouds.

"Talk…to me about?" she asked, her face starting to flush.

"Mm."  She waited, stomach twisting, for his next words.  

"Ayane…"

"Yes?  Yes?"

"Why do you hate Kasumi so much?"

He wasn't sitting up, so he didn't see her face fall.  But when she didn't respond after a while, he pressed, "Well?"

Ayane sighed.  "I…don't hate her…really," she managed, lamely.  At this, Hayate finally sat up and raised a brow quizzically at her.  "Really," she repeated.  "I don't."

Hayate rolled his eyes and flopped down again.  "You know, she wants to be your friend."

"No one wants to be my friend."  The bitter reply was out before she could stop it.  Slowly, Hayate sat back up and this time looked Ayane straight into her eyes.  Ashamed, she quickly averted her gaze.

"Ayane…" he began gently.

"It's nothing," she interjected.  "Please forgive my impertinence," she added, with a little bow.

"Ayane," he continued firmly, as though she hadn't said anything, "you're a great kunoichi.  Probably the greatest that the Mugen Tenshin's had in a long time.  And someday, I swear that everyone's going to know it."

Ayane kept her gaze trained downward, trying to control this feeling of overwhelming gratitude overflowing in her veins.  When she finally felt she had power over herself again, she whispered a heartfelt: "Thank you."

Slightly embarrassed and feeling extremely awkward, Hayate suddenly stood and brushed the leaves off his _gi_.  "Well, let's get going, shall we?"

It wasn't until well into the afternoon of the third and final day that Kasumi finally successfully managed that jutsu.  It was, she discovered, something akin to the kawarimi jutsu[1], only embellished.  That didn't make it any easier, though, so when she finally found herself about 100 meters above ground in the tree, looking down at the spot she had been, now littered with blossom petals, she couldn't hold back a whoop of victory.  From the ground, Ryu Hayabusa grinned up at his protégé which she returned enthusiastically.

            "How'd I do, Hayabusa-san?" she called out, perhaps unnecessarily, but dammit!  She was in a damn fine mood, and she wanted to hear him _say_ it!

            Ryu continued to smile that breath-taking smile of his (Kasumi's good mood seemed to make her high as a jaybird and prone to think a bit…_recklessly_) and called up, "That was…fantastic!"

            On normal days, or in the presence of her father, Kasumi would stare down at her hands and mumble something about how it was thanks to having a good teacher.  But up here, against the sky, adrenaline pumping in her veins, she just about felt like she could fly if she had the mind to.  "That, Hayabusa-san," she said, "is just the beginning!"  She heard his chuckle float up to her, and she grinned even wider.  "I'm going to be the best kunoichi the Mugen Tenshin's _ever_ seen!  I'm going to—Hayabusa-san, did you hear that?"

            One hand against the tree trunk, Ryu tried to place what she was talking about.  He closed his eyes and concentrated.  And…there!  He was sure he heard it, too!

            The soft tinkle of a bell.

            Sparing only a moment to share an excited look, the two shinobi took to the trees as though they were of one mind.  They were within listening distance, but trying to find a tiny bell in the midst of all the thick foliage was still going to be a challenge.  If only….

            Luck was on their side.  A slight breeze picked up, and again, that melodious sound of victory.  As they closed in on the sound, they saw the fleeting metallic glint of the bell that had momentary swayed from the protection of the leaf it was nestled beneath.  Landing on a branch that placed them at eye-level with it, they both took a deep breath, glanced at each other, and, together, plucked it from its branch.

            Kasumi held it up to the sun and gave it a small shake.  She laughed delightedly at its sound.  "So much trouble for such a little thing."

            "Well, it's always the little things that cause the most trouble," Ryu said, remembering what his mother always used to say, particularly when he got himself into trouble.

            Kasumi opened her mouth to respond, when they heard a crunch below them.  Pulling out a shuriken just in case, Ryu motioned for Kasumi to put the bell away, and jumped down, mere inches away from the intruder.

            "Jeez!  Ryu!"

            Ryu stopped in mid-throw.  He knew that voice.  Apparently his leap down had managed to narrowly miss landing on Hayate's head, but knocked him instead off his feet.  From the ground, Hayate ruefully rubbed his sore ass.

            "Hayate-san!"  Ayane made an appearance shortly after her voice, helping Hayate off the ground, and glaring at Ryu for good measure.  As soon as she was able to, she got into a stance that said she was going to kick his ass and kick it good.

            Slightly taken aback, Ryu mumbled, "Sorry."  Ayane didn't break her stance.

            Hayate, on the other hand, merely laid a restraining hand on her shoulder and said nonchalantly, "So, I take it you're here because you heard it, too?  So where's Kasumi?"

            As though in answer to that question, his sister's voice trailed down from above: "Hayabusa-san?  Are you all right?"  Her head peeked over the branch limb, and her face lit up when she saw who it was.  "Nii-san!"

            Hayate threw a cocky salute upward.  "Yo, Kasumi."  Ayane scowled.

            Kasumi squealed and jumped down.  "Nii-san!  Look what we found!" she said, excitedly holding up her prize for everyone to see.

            Ryu gulped as he saw Ayane's eyes narrow dangerously.  Mentally, he smacked himself in the head at Kasumi's naïveté.  But what's done is done, he added to himself.  And he returned Ayane's steely glare to show that they wouldn't give up their hard-won prize so easily.

            Hayate's clear laugh dispelled anything they might have done, however.  Instead, he picked Kasumi up and spun her in a circle, making her squeal with delight.  "Good work," he said, giving her a noogie for good measure.  Turning to his furious partner, he said, "Guess we were too late, Ayane."  Ayane, momentarily thrown off balance and trying to erase the evidence of anger in her face but not quite successfully managing it, only nodded.  Ryu shook his head sympathetically, but didn't say anything.  After all, things had worked out in their favor.

            "You guys better go turn that in to Genra-sama," Hayate said, "before the sun sets.  We're going to go look for that other one.  Let's go, Ayane."  Nodding, the purple-haired kunoichi took off, with Hayate following.

            "Good luck, Nii-san!" Kasumi called after them.  Then, as an afterthought: "You, too, Ayane!"

            "Hey, the other one has to be _somewhere_, right?" came back Hayate's reply before he disappeared into the treetops.

  


* * *

[1] Replacement technique


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: I'm sorry, but I've got to have another one of these, because I forgot to do it in the last chapter. I meant to answer Wolf's question a long time ago. This fic starts when the main four, as I've come to call them, are relatively young. Ryu and Hayate should be on the cusp of adulthood, like 12 or 13, placing Kasumi and Ayane at around 6 or 7. I wanted their growth to appear gradual, so their ages are deliberately vague in the following chapters. Mostly this fic showcases how such an unusual childhood affects these four.

From now on, to reduce these dumb "author's notes" let's direct questions about the fic to my blog, found on my bio page. It's a joint journal, and I would be on the right hand column. Just click the small number by the date to leave a comment. That's where I'll answer questions.

Warnings for the chapter: this chapter contains no action (boo!) and a _lot_ of talking. It's kinda like _Kill Bill 2_.

Standard disclaimers apply.

Red. There was just so much red. Even in the pitch darkness, he could see it clearly, running down and gathering at the knife's point before forming a dark drop that detached and disappeared with the weight of gravity.

Hayate shifted his grip on the knife hilt and tried his damnedest to control his face when he felt the unmistakable stickiness covering his palm and fingers. His stomach turned violently, but other than the profuse sweating, he was doing all right. Only after he felt his stomach settle did he feel brave enough to glance over at the body he knew was lying at his feet.

The bloated oval of the man's face stood out in the darkness. Bathed in the pale moonlight, the flesh already turning blue (what was this man's name?), veins visible beneath iridescent skin. Below his chin was the gaping gash that (why couldn't he remember his name?) Hayate's knife had mercilessly—almost clinically, if he thought about it—(but his name!) torn open. The wound was already festering (he was _sure_ he knew it a while ago) and the beneath the man's (god_damn_, what was this bastard's name?!) neck and head, the blood from the wound darkened the earth.

It was only after he got a good look did he finally turn and stumble away. He didn't manage twenty steps before finally collapsing onto his knees in front of a tree and vomiting. He continued to wretch for what seemed to him like a very long time, even after he felt a comforting hand gently pound him on the back. When he finally got himself under control, he looked up at his father. He didn't trust himself to be able to stand yet.

His father's face was stern, despite the sympathetic shakes of his head. "The first one is always the hardest," he said gruffly. "You'll get used to it."

At the moment, Hayate couldn't even begin to fathom how he would ever get used to this, but he dutifully said, quietly, "Yes, sir." Then he lowered his head so he wouldn't have to look at the older man anymore. He was too tired to make a fuss.

His father, obviously slightly disconcerted that his son hadn't yet risen, waited a few more moments before hesitantly reaching out to give Hayate an awkward pat on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you, boy. That was perfect." Except for the clenching of his fists, Hayate didn't stir. The man just looked down at his son, incredibly unsure what to do. It wasn't a feeling he was used to nor one he enjoyed. So he settled for one that he was the most comfortable with.

"Listen, boy," he said, the shinobi clan head in him said, "this is our lot in life. This _is_ the Mugen Tenshin. You're not the only one who's done this, and you won't be the last. You're going to have to grow up and accept it. And so will Kasumi." And then, not knowing what else to do, he turned and stalked away, so that he didn't see his son desperately shaking his head in flat denial, and he didn't hear the words coming out like a litany under his breath:

"No. No."

Standing outside in the hallway, Kasumi took a deep breath to calm the nervousness. Which was ridiculous, she chastised herself. Why should she be nervous, after all? This was her very own brother. So, she shifted the food tray in her hands, and forced herself to clear her throat and call out: "Nii-san? I've brought some lunch for you." She was not surprised when she received no answer.

Lately, it seemed like Hayate was starting to withdrawal from others—from her. It had been such a gradual process, that Kasumi couldn't pinpoint an exact moment when she noticed it, but if she had to guess, she'd say around the time he got back from his first mission. It wasn't as though he was noticeably different, that night he got back. In fact, she hadn't had time to talk to him that night since the instant he got home he hit the showers and stayed there so long that eventually Kasumi ended up going to bed first. And the next day, he had seemed cheerful enough. But that was when the odd behavior had started. For one thing, he hadn't talked about his mission at all. Well, not directly, at least. When she had asked—the one and only time—he had merely gave her a tight smile and made some vague comment. But something about him then made her instinctively avoid the topic in the future.

Looking down at her reflection in the cooling bowl of miso soup, she realized it was probably his eyes. Now that she thought about it, he got that look when someone mentioned Mother around him. Or maybe it wasn't the look so much as the feeling…? Oh, it was so confusing. She had just known it was something taboo with Hayate. And then he had started staring off into space more often than not. And whenever he had received missions, he started to go silent and spend more time in his room.

Like now. He hadn't shown up for lunch again, and frankly Kasumi was getting tired of it. She was sure he fed himself during the week _some_time, she just never saw him do it. And she was sure whatever he was eating wasn't a good, square meal. "Nii-san?" Kasumi tried again. "Aren't you hungry?" Still no answer. If he was ignoring her on purpose, well, that just wasn't going to work today! "Nii-san? I'm coming in."

She slid the door open, and scanned her eyes around the vacant room. Odd, but at least she had a reason why he wasn't responding. Her eyes soon landed on the sliding doors opposite her leading out to the verandah. Walking through those, she soon spied him sitting atop a rock in the middle of the meditation garden. He apparently hadn't heard her, as he made no movements to acknowledge her presence.

Now she was really worried. Since when had he started taking up meditation? "Nii-san? Are you all right?"

Hayate snapped out of his trance with a start. "Kasumi? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question. When you didn't come down to eat, I thought you might be hungry, so I brought up a tray for you."

Hayate nodded his thanks. "Just leave it there. I'll eat something when I'm finished here."

A dismissal if she ever heard one. She dutifully turned to leave, but then stopped and turned back around. "Nii-san? Is there something you want to tell me?"

He seemed genuinely surprised by the question. "No. Why do you ask?"

Kasumi fidgeted. "I don't know. Lately, it seems like you've got something on your mind."

"Thanks, Kasumi, but it's nothing."

"But," she still persisted, "if you have something you want to get off your chest, you know you can talk to me, right?" She felt crushed when he only gave her that tight smile again. Defeated, and terribly lonely, Kasumi went back into the house.

Dusk had fallen by the time she had returned from training. It had been a particularly grueling session, and she winced as she shifted the bag of equipment on her injured shoulder. Hayashi, walking at her side, was quick to notice and offer his services: "Let me carry that for you, Kasumi-san."

"No, it's all right. I've got it."

The pair made their way up to the dojo to drop off their loads in the storage room. As they set the bags up on the piles, Hayashi took the moment to look at Kasumi out of the corner of his eye. How lucky was he to get paired up with such a partner! Not only was she the daughter of the clan head, her blooming body was the stuff of which his dreams were made as of late. He knew he was the envy of a lot of the guys; several already had their eyes on her, and it was even rumored that she was the reason that Hayabusa kept coming around. But considering he was her sparring partner, he also knew he had the best chance with her. Taking advantage of their positions, he deliberately brushed his body up against hers until everything was in place and he no longer had that excuse. And as he saw Kasumi get ready to leave, his mind scrambled to find some way to make conversation or _something_. "Kasumi-san?" he questioned, in what he hoped was a suave voice, until she turned and faced him, "I'll walk you home."

"No, no thank you. I was thinking of going over and seeing if my brother was done training. I'll go back with him."

"But Hayate-san should still be on his mission."

Kasumi started. "What?"

Seeing that that stopped her from going, Hayashi nodded vigorously in confirmation. "I saw his squad leave this morning."

Kasumi bit on her lower lip. _He didn't even tell me this time_….

The two walked up towards her home in subdued silence, mostly because Kasumi was too lost in her thoughts to attempt conversation.

She knew he had come in at night. She had heard the door to his room sliding shut some time past midnight. But he had apparently left before dawn since by the time she took his breakfast tray up, the room was already empty.

"Your brother was called away on a reconnaissance mission," came a gruff voice behind her, startling her into turning around so fast she spilled the miso on the tray. Kasumi stared up into her father's disapproving frown, not really registering the dripping soup more than the thought that she hadn't even felt him coming.

Nor did she have the presence of mind to properly greet her father. "But—but, he just got back from one!" she protested.

"The clan's needs come first," he stated, "and this is an excellent opportunity for Hayate to learn stealth techniques."

Kasumi nodded, knowing her cue of when she was supposed to at least show she accepted her father's words. But she nearly dropped the tray when she heard him say: "Kasumi, I want you to stop pestering your brother so much."

At first all Kasumi could do was gape. When she finally did manage to work her tongue again, she managed to ask, "Did—he say that?"

"Of course he didn't. But I know. Hayate has this way of spoiling you, and I want that to stop immediately. It's harder for him to concentrate on his work if he has to keep babying you, and so far you haven't succeeded nearly as much as you should have as a shinobi. I won't have you holding him back. You just concentrate on your own training. Until you surpass Ayane, you aren't to disturb him. Do I make myself clear?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But, Father--!"

"Just do as I say!" It wasn't a request. It was a command: as clan leader to his subordinate, as father to his daughter.

Kasumi bowed her head, and mumbled a beaten, "Yes, sir."

"I will not be questioned," her father stated flatly. "Clean this up," he added, gesturing to the spilled soup, before turning and leaving his daughter standing alone in front of the empty room.

Ayane just blinked, and said, "What?"

Kasumi swallowed her impatience and repeated for what seemed like to her the umpteenth time and asked again, "Can we train together today? Just you and me?"

The younger kunoichi just repeated the blank blinking motion a few more times before finally saying, "That's what I thought you said. But there was no way I could have heard that correctly, right?"

"No, I'm serious! Please, Ayane? Train with me?"

Ayane's eyes instantly narrowed in suspicion. "What are you planning?" A list of past offenses—harmless pranks, really—Kasumi might be plotting revenge for scrolled through her mind. Nothing to get worked up over. But this was Kasumi, and Ayane had no idea what she went on in that twisted little mind.

"Nothing!" Kasumi insisted. "I just want to train with a stronger sparring partner, for a change."

"Flattery will get you no where," Ayane said flatly. "I don't trust you any…" _any more than I can throw you_ is what she was planning on saying, but now that Ayane thought about it, that was pretty far. "…anyway, I don't trust you," she finished.

Kasumi wanted to rip her hair out in frustration, but there was no way she was going to give Ayane that satisfaction. At any rate, now was the time to swallow her pride. "Please? I'll do anything you want."

Now _there_ was a tempting offer. Ayane's calculating eyes glinted. "Anything?"

"Anything," Kasumi confirmed, nodding her head vigorously.

Well, if that was the case, at least it meant she wasn't planning revenge. Not that Ayane did anything that warranted revenge, mind you. But one never knows. Ayane made a great show of considering her offer, before saying, overly gracious, "Oh, all right."

"Thanks, Ayane!" Kasumi cried in relief. "I owe you one!"

But Kasumi's relief was short lived when she saw Ayane's feral grin. "Yes. Yes, you do." And with that, Ayane led the way to a training clearing, practically skipping all the way.

Silently, Kasumi was wondering if this was worth it. _I'm going to wipe that smirk off her face_, Kasumi growled darkly to herself as she followed.

They had been pummeling each other into the ground for quite some time before Ayane popped the question: "So why did you really ask me out here?"

Kasumi grunted as she dodged a punch and answered as she volleyed one of her own, "What do you mean?"

Ayane attempted to use Kasumi's punch against her by grabbing her arm and using it to throw her, but Kasumi twisted out of the grip and backed off a few paces, out of reach. "Come off it. You and I both know there's no way you would train with me unless you needed something. So say what it is already."

At that, Kasumi broke ready stance, and looked at the ground guiltily. Ayane, seeing her opponent drop guard, decided this was a good opportunity to strike, and started to rush at Kasumi when the other girl asked, "Ayane, does Nii-san talk to you?"

Ayane stopped in her tracks. "What?"

Kasumi raised her face, and Ayane was actually surprised to see the desperation written there. "You've been on missions together, right? Do you guys ever…talk?"

Ayane snorted in contempt. "Idiot. Who the hell talks during missions? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"I wouldn't know. I've never had one yet," Kasumi said quietly.

"You wouldn't be able to handle it," Ayane scorned. "It's not some kind of picnic, Kasumi. Missions require focus and concentration. Stupid actions like that could get someone _killed_."

Kasumi chewed on her lower lip and nodded. "How is Nii-san? During the missions, I mean."

Ayane blinked. She wasn't following this conversation at all. "What do you mean? Hayate-san is the best. No one even comes close."

"So, he's good, then."

"The _best_, I said." Ayane lifted her chin haughtily. "He's already surpassed those in his group who've been on the squad longer than he has, and the elders are talking about making him captain of a squad soon." She sighed dramatically. "I guess _all_ the Mugen Tenshin children can't be geniuses."

Kasumi didn't even seem to hear her. "Ayane, I think something's wrong with Nii-san."

"What?" There was a pregnant pause. Mentally, Kasumi fumbled for the right words.

"He's…not himself. He doesn't eat. He doesn't sleep. He's starting to meditate for hours."

"Well…what's wrong with that?" Ayane protested, although it sounded half-hearted even to her ears.

"He doesn't even talk to me any more," Kasumi said, with tangible sadness.

"You're just jealous because he doesn't have time to baby-sit you anymore! He's growing up and leaving you, and you can't bear it, that's why you're saying this," Ayane shouted, trying to will it to be true by saying it. But it was no use. The seeds of anxiety were already planted, and Ayane's mind already was starting to wander away from the conversation. Now she was preoccupied with Hayate-san's past behavior. When had she last seen him? How did he behave? She honestly couldn't remember. Up until now, she had thought he was perfectly fine. Silent, perhaps, but she had just passed that off as his being focused. So, was he not all right then?

Damn Kasumi for bringing this up.

"Ayane, I have a favor to ask."

"What?"

"I need you to go ask Hayabusa-san to talk to Nii-san."

"And what good is that going to do?" Ayane snapped impatiently.

Kasumi sighed. "It's no good. Nii-san isn't going to talk to either of us. But he might still talk to Hayabusa-san. Please, Ayane. Please, ask Hayabusa-san to come."

"Why don't you get him yourself?"

"Father says I'm not allowed out of the hold until I start missions. Please do this, Ayane." Under normal circumstances, Ayane would have laughed to hear the little princess getting grounded. But as it were, Ayane just nodded grimly, and started to walk away, when she heard Kasumi's voice call after. "Ayane!"

"What?"

"How—" Kasumi said, "how did you get so strong?"

Ayane considered the kunoichi standing in front of her for a few moments in contemplative silence. Then she turned and walked away, calling over her shoulder, "I pretend my opponents are you."

She met him by the gates of the village. He had been in the middle of intensive training, but when he heard the kunai[1] lodge into the woodwork of a nearby tree trunk, and after he saw whom the note was from, he slipped away as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," Ryu said congenially in greeting. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

Ayane's stoic face didn't even acknowledge the playful barbs. She immediately gave him a low bow. "Ryu-sama."

"Hey," Ryu said, raising his hands defensively. "Just 'Ryu' is fine."

"You are a squadron leader and heir to the Dragon clan," Ayane stated. "It wouldn't be proper."

Ryu brushed it aside. "I doubt you came all the way out here to talk to me about titles. Is there something you needed?"

"Ryu-sama, please come and see Hayate-san."

"Hayate? I haven't seen him since the New Year's. Why? Is there something wrong?"

Ayane nodded. "I think something's bothering him. But he won't tell me what it is."

Ryu didn't like the sound of that. "Have you talked to Kasumi about this?"

Ayane again confirmed, stiffly. "She's tried talking to him as well, but has failed."

He chewed on that for a while. So, maybe he wasn't exactly surprised that Hayate appeared standoffish to his comrade-in-arms, but to Kasumi? "…all right, Ayane. I'll be by as soon as I can."

Ayane nodded her thanks, before disappearing into the night.

Kasumi was in her brother's empty room, cleaning up the untouched dinner tray when she heard the unfamiliar, heavy step on the verandah. She only had an instant to react to it when the sliding door was flung open, revealing the form of Ryu Hayabusa. His surprise at seeing her was evident on his face, and vaguely she got the feeling that it must resemble something of her own expression.

For a moment, there was only surprised silence as the two just stared at each other.

"Ha—hayabusa-san! How—when—what are you doing here?" she finally said.

Fortunately for Kasumi, Ryu was finding it equally difficult to speak coherently. "I, er, well that is—you see, Ayane—"

Recognition flashed through Kasumi's mind and she jumped up, hope exploding in her chest. "You came! Oh, I'm so glad!" she exclaimed, cutting him off. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon," she confessed.

"I hurried over. It seemed important," Ryu said, now somewhat sheepish and belatedly wondering if he overreacted somewhat. "I wasn't expecting to see you in here. Otherwise, I wouldn't have barged in."

"No, no! It's all right," she was quick to assure him. She gestured to the otherwise empty room and said, perhaps redundantly, "Nii-san isn't home right now. Um…do you want to sit down and wait for him?" she offered, a proposal readily accepted.

"So, what exactly has been going on with Hayate?" Ryu asked, as he accepted the cup of tea offered to him. And as he sipped, he thoughtfully listened to Kasumi relate the entire situation. When she was done, all he said was, "I see" as he stared down into the teacup, trying to compose what he should be saying in his head.

Finally, he said, "Kasumi, listen. Different people react to…stressful conditions, well, differently. What Hayate's going through happens to a lot of people. And it might not necessarily be a bad thing," he ventured.

Kasumi's reaction was instantaneous. "Not a bad thing? How is this not a bad thing?"

"Calm down, Kasumi," Ryu said. "What I'm saying is that this might be Hayate's way of coping. He's under a lot of pressure right now, and he's probably doing this to help him concentrate."

For a while, Kasumi didn't say anything. But Ryu could tell what he was saying wasn't exactly reaching her, from the way her eyes blazed as they regarded him. It wasn't a feeling he enjoyed.

When she spoke again, it was in a flat and disappointed tone of voice: "You've changed, too."

"Me?" Ryu was not prepared for that. "How so?"

"You haven't smiled once since you've been here."

"I—" Ryu stopped to think. "I…didn't realize."

"It's true," Kasumi said, her voice brittle in a way Ryu never heard from her before. "Not _once_. And your eyes have changed too. Like Nii-san's. Distant. Cold. _Focused_," she said, stressing the last word in caustic sarcasm.

"Kasumi…"

"Oh, don't!" she said, choking back a sob of frustration and anger. She continued her tirade, her voice rising as her words gained speed. "I thought you could help! But you're not any different!"

Ryu stared. This was the first time Kasumi had ever spoken to him like that. Seeing her like this, it was starting to bring home how much around him was changing. Like the way she said Hayate had. This person she was describing sounded like a lot of shinobi Ryu knew, but was a stranger to the memory of his friend he had. All of this was making him begin to wonder how he must appear to Kasumi now. And his sympathies to her opened up.

"This must've been hard on you," he said, softly.

At his gentle words, her face crumpled, and she buried her head in her arms. "I'm losing both of you," she said into the table.

"Come on, Kasumi," Ryu pleaded, "you know that's not true."

"It is!" she insisted, lifting her head up, anger returning to her countenance. "I may not know much about these all important _missions_, but if there's one thing I do know it's my own brother! And _that_," she said, emphatically gesturing in the direction of Hayate's empty room, "is not Hayate! I've lost him to—to whatever it is he's become."

"Kasumi," Ryu interjected, trying to reason with her, "you know you mean more to Hayate than anything or anyone. But he has duties now to attend to. Responsibilities…." But then his voice trailed off as he realized what he was saying. "Oh, God," he muttered, rubbing his temples in a semblance of trying to regain control over himself.

"Hayabusa-san?" Kasumi said, concerned.

"It's nothing," Ryu said. "It's just that I realized I've heard this speech from my father before."

"I see. 'Responsibility' seems to be a big thing with clan heads."

"It _is_," he insisted against the contempt in her voice. "I wouldn't say this if I didn't believe in it myself. You'll see when you start going on missions. And as daughter of a clan leader yourself, you'll start to feel it, too."

"That I doubt," Kasumi countered. "Let me ask you this, Hayabusa-san. Is duty worth sacrificing everything for?"

"I…yes."

"Is there _nothing_ you would abandon your duty for?"

"Kasumi…"

But Kasumi continued as though she hadn't heard him. "I, for one, _know_ for a _fact_ that I would give up anything for Nii-san."

"Even at the cost of your clan?" Ryu challenged.

"Even at the cost of my life!"

Ryu leaned back heavily. He had no idea what to say to such an impassioned statement, and he said as much.

"Hayabusa-san," Kasumi said, gently this time as if to make up for her previous belligerence, "I know what we've been taught. Duty is important. But there are things more important than duty. That is what I believe."

He didn't respond right away. At first she was afraid that he was offended. After all, she probably said a lot of hateful things. Guilt was starting to catch up to her, and shame. Why on earth possessed her to shoot her mouth off like that? "I'm sorry, Hayabusa-san. I was way out of line."

"No, it's all right," Ryu said, slowly. "Besides, you might be right."

"You're agreeing with me?"

"Yeah."

_There are things more important than duty_. It was such a simple sentence. But it was amazing how such a simple thought could make Ryu think so much. And he looked at her, this girl who was changing, too, and changing him right before his eyes. And he grinned. _I want to believe it, too._

When Kasumi saw his lips curl up in the first smile she had seen on his face since he got there, she couldn't stop the relieved tears from forming.

When Hayate came home, he had at first just walked right by Ryu, which made Ryu feel pretty annoyed. "You know that I'm _not_ a garden statue, right?"

Hayate blinked and said, intelligently, "Ryu?" After confirming it was indeed not a trick of the light or something, he asked, "What do you want?"

"Oh, nice greeting," Ryu snorted.

"Sorry," Hayate said, rubbing his temples, "it's been a long day. How's it going?"

"Funny you should ask. I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Huh?" When his friend didn't move to explain himself, Hayate sighed and sat down heavily on the deck. "Look, I'm not exactly in the mood for guessing games tonight. I just got back from a mission, so I'm kinda beat. Can you just tell me what you came to tell me and get on with it?" The only response he got was a critical look. "What?" Hayate finally exploded, exasperated.

"So," Ryu continued conversationally, unfazed by Hayate's impatience, "do you want to talk about it?"

"About what? Talk about what?"

"Why don't you tell me."

"Will you _stop_ that?" Hayate shouted, jumping to his feet. "Just say what you came to say and get the hell out of here!" All Ryu did was stare impassively at his friend. If he was hurt or surprised by the outburst, he didn't show it.

When he did finally speak, his voice was quiet, low, and sympathetic. "The first…is always the hardest."

"Wha—what?" Hayate said, voice breaking a bit part from exasperation, part from exhaustion. But when the rest of his mind finally caught up with what Ryu meant, he sighed heavily and sat back down. "Oh."

"If it's any consolation…it gets easier."

"Oh, fuck you."

"I'm serious," Ryu insisted.

"I know. I know it, Ryu, all right? I've heard this speech before. Several times, in fact. And do you know the worst part of it, Ryu? Can you tell me that, O great _super_ ninja? Well?" Ryu just met Hayate's gaze unblinkingly in response. In the silence, Hayate took a deep breath before continuing on his tirade, "The worst part is…they're absolutely right. It gets _easier_. It becomes so fucking easy as long as you just…."

"…focus," finished Ryu.

"Yeah," Hayate said. "Yeah. Focus." He exhaled loudly with a shuddering breath. "But I guess you already know that, huh?"

"You're not the only one who had to go through with it, you know," Ryu said. "It wasn't exactly an easy thing for me either."

"Yeah?" Hayate said, with a shadow of skepticism. "How'd you deal with it? No, wait. Focus."

"Focus," Ryu confirmed, but not without a hint of sarcasm. "The 'Super' ninja, remember?"

"I didn't mean—"

"No, forget about it," Ryu said, waving away Hayate's apology. "It's mostly the truth anyway."

Hayate flopped onto his back, while Ryu took a seat beside him.

"You know," Ryu said into the companionable silence, "Kasumi's worried about you."

"Kasumi? So that's why you suddenly brought this up."

"You're all she has, Hayate."

All Hayate did was give a noncommittal grunt in response while he continued to stare up at the sky.

"Hey, Hayate?"

"Yeah?"

Ryu's question was full of uncharacteristic uncertainty. "Do you think there's a way to have both?"

"What? You mean like a balance?"

"I suppose."

Hayate thought about it. But the only thing he could ultimately conclude was: "I guess I don't really know."

"Damn," Ryu murmured. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Hayate lifted one of his hands and stared at it, contemplating the immense power it was capable of. "I don't really see how. But I guess in the end it doesn't really matter. I've already decided, Ryu."

"Decided what?"

"I've decided. I'll bloody my hands, if it'll keep hers clean."

"Hayate?"

"I don't care what it takes," Hayate continued, his voice growing stronger as it gained conviction. "I'm going to regret the way I lived my life forever. There's no changing that anymore. That's the life I was given.

"But for her, it's going to be different. I swear it's going to be different. No matter what." Hayate suddenly sat up and turned to his friend. "Ryu, when the time comes, will you help me?"

Ryu regarded his friend's face, and wondered what he could possibly be planning. But the gravity of the oath was plain to see. Ryu gave a small grin. "Yeah. Count me in."

He prayed Hayate knew what he was going to get them all into. And he prayed that if nothing else, as Hayate had dreamed, at least Kasumi would come through to see its end.

And if he were lucky, he'd get to see her there.

AN: Wai! If you're reading this, thanks for reading through this chapter! I'll bet it was pretty slow, but I think it's necessary to set up the next events.

And now for some shameless pimping!! If anyone's interested in buying a fanart keychain drawn by yours truly, please stop by the website and check them out! Show the love, people!

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[1] knife 


	7. Chapter 7

Author's notes: cultural notes: the age of consent in Japan is still 14, I think. Violetta is the protagonist of Verdi's opera _La Traviatta_. "-Dono" is a address that was used by samurai in ancient times to refer to their lords. I thnk the modern equivalent would be "-sama" in terms of politeness, but I figured that ninja could go ahead and use an archaic term. It just sounds stronger and more respectful, to me. "-Kun" is often attached to names of people in one's peer group, often boys.

Standard disclaimers apply.

"Come in," she said when she heard the knock on her door. The invitation had been given absently, but had she known who it was, she would have been less generous in her welcome.

The polite smile on Helena's face melted off the instant she saw her visitor. Ignoring the respectful bow given, she turned back to her armoire and continued to dress herself. Her guest waited patiently by the door where she had come in, until Helena in a fit of impatience glared at the reflection in the mirror and finally said, "What do you want?"

Christy's face remained unperturbed as she said in her crisp and professional tone, "Your father sends his apologies for his absence tonight. He has extremely pressing business that could not otherwise be avoided, and has asked me to inform you that he is truly, very sorry."

Frankly, Helena wasn't surprised. "You may tell that man that no apologies are necessary," she said to the stoic reflection in the mirror. "His presence was not expected nor would it have been welcomed." In the mirror, she eyed the bouquet in Christy's arms. "Those, I suppose, are from him?"

"Yes, Miss Helena. Where shall I leave them?"

"You may take them back with you. I thank you for your pains, Christy, but you'll have to excuse me. I have a performance to ready for." She didn't turn around again until she heard the door shut, signaling Christy's departure.

Even alone, Helena tried to maintain her stony countenance. But after a few minutes, her posture slowly sank into a slouch, and she buried her face in the crook of her arms in silence. When she regained her composure, she hurriedly straightened her appearance and gathering her skirts about her started to flounce to the door, but drew up to a sudden stop when she saw a bouquet—the same one that she had demanded Christy take back with her—on the side table near the door. Huffing exasperatedly, Helena picked them up. A dozen red roses. How perfectly typical of him. Refined, to be sure, but disinterested and "all-purpose."

She was starting to hate roses.

As she inspected the flowers, her hand grazed against the edge of a paper card tucked between the stems. Pulling it out, she saw the words on the cover written in fancy script: "To my daughter, Helena." Pursing her lips, she opened it up and read its contents, eyes scanning the words on the page quickly and critically. As she neared the end, she heard a familiar, gentle knock at the door. Quickly crumbling the paper up in the fist of one hand, she said, sweetly, "Come in."

"Helena, dear? It's—oh! What lovely flowers!"

"Oh! Yes, thank you, _mamán_. Actually, they're for you."

The older woman blinked in surprise. "For me?"

"Yes, of course. From…Father." Helena tried (and succeeded) at not choking on the word. The other woman, however, probably wouldn't have noticed anyway, she thought ruefully. At the mere mention of Fame Douglas' name, Helena's mother almost reverently took the roses into her arms and inhaled their scent, her eyes showing she was blissfully in another world.

Suddenly, Helena wished that Fame Douglas had come. Then she could kick that bastard where it counted.

-

The words were out before he even looked up. It was so well ingrained in his system now. If you hear the tinkle of the bell that hangs above the door, you say: "Irrashaimase."

Of course, the contemptuous snort he received in response made him pause in what he was doing—namely wiping the countertop—and look up. Hayate stood in the doorway, dressed in a long gray overcoat, black slacks, and sporting a pair of shades. Not your typical ninja attire.

"And I thought you were kidding," was his friend's greeting.

"About what? That I was working in Mifune-jii-san's shop?"

"Well, yeah," his friend returned, as though it should've been painfully obvious. "It's not exactly standard practice for shinobi to part-time on the side." Hayate pulled off his glasses and took a cursory glance around the tiny store. "Geez, what a dump."

"Hey," Ryu said, a touch defensively, "what's wrong with it?"

"I don't know. You tell me," Hayate said, picking up an antique from a nearby shelf that turned out to be more dust than clock. After several bouts of violent sneezing, Hayate managed to wheeze, "Does anyone actually buy this junk?"

Ryu plucked the clock from Hayate's grip. "Don't knock the merchandise. This," indicating the timepiece by waving it in front of Hayate's face, "used to be precious to someone."

"Little wonder that they could part with it," Hayate muttered under his breath. "What the hell are you doing in a place like this? Is this some kind of bizarre assignment?"

"N-no. It's not like that. I," Ryu took a deep breath, "I want the money."

Hayate's forehead nearly connected with the countertop when he heard that. Which, Ryu mused, would have really sucked. It was a glass counter. "Are you out of your mind?" Hayate yelled. "I know for a _fact_ that the Dragon clan is not exactly on the breadline, and I _also_ happen to know that _you_ rake in most of it!"

Ryu sighed. "I don't keep any of that."

Now, this was news to Hayate. "What?"

"I give that money back to the clan elders."

"Whaaaat? Why?" Somewhere in the back of his mind, Hayate swore he could hear the flutter of bills flying away.

"It's just something I realized. You wouldn't understand."

"Oh yeah? Try me."

Ryu eyed his friend critically, as though sizing him up to see if he could really take him seriously. Finally, he said, "Hayate, you know what we do, right?"

"Yeah…"

"We fight. We steal. Sometimes we even kill. No, sometimes we _murder_. Wait," he said, raising his hand when he saw the protests spring to his friend's lips, "I know why we do it. It's important and it's our duty. I know that, too. Really, I do. But still…it's work where someone usually ends up getting hurt. It's dirty money, Hayate. And I don't want to any of that."

Hayate gave him a skeptical look but didn't pursue that vein. Instead, he just sighed and said, "So, that's why you're here, huh?" He gave a self-deprecating bark of laughter. "Never knew you felt that way before."

"It's just something I've thought a lot about recently," Ryu said. "You know, sometimes I wonder what I would've done if it weren't for the clan and stuff. What it would be like, what I would do for a living, all that."

"And you decided that you would sell curios," Hayate supplied, bemusedly examining another nearby clock.

The answer surprised him. "Yeah," Ryu said, honestly, "or something like it. This," he said, gesturing around the shop, "this is decent. It's humble, but it's straight. It's…enough, you know? Come on, you of all people should know what I'm talking about."

"I guess," Hayate said, shaking his head. "But it feels like you've been demoted or something."

"I like to think of it more as being reasonable."

"Yeah? Do you _reasonably_ think you'll be able to live like this?" Hayate shot back.

Ryu shrugged. "Who knows? The boss does say I have a certain knack for business."

Hayate grinned good-naturedly. "Yeah, who knows? When the old man's ready to retire, he might leave you this hole."

Ryu couldn't help but grin back. "So, what brings you to my shop, valued customer? I take it you're not interested in a new clock."

In response, Hayate just tossed a rolled up newspaper onto the countertop. It landed with a heavy thud. Ryu practically dove at it. "Hey! I just cleaned that!"

"Just read it, Ryu."

A little hesitant to be dawdling away his work hours, but curious nonetheless, Ryu obediently opened the paper to the front headlines. What he read there made the collective ticking of all the store's clocks seem to slow to a dull roar. Riveted, his eyes couldn't even move past the headline. He licked his suddenly dry lips. "Fa—fame Douglas? Here?" He looked up to meet Hayate's smirk.

"Interested?"

"Hell, yeah!" Quickly, Ryu scanned the rest of the paper, looking for more details—anything, really—that related to this grand gala DOATEC had graciously dropped in what was practically their own backyard. Odaiba was not that far, if one tried hard enough to get there. And with such a delicious keynote speaker as the one illustrious Fame Douglas, well, this was surely an evening not to miss out on. "I don't believe it," Ryu breathed. "After so long of trying to track down anything on these bastards!"

"I know," Hayate chortled. "It's perfect. They're coming to _us_. And we can't very well afford to miss such a golden opportunity, now, can we?"

"No, we couldn't," Ryu agreed, never taking his eyes off the paper. But towards the end of the article, he came to something that made his brow furrow in consternation. "Attendance by invitation only, though. Strictly VIPs."

Hayate made a noise of contempt. "Like that's going to stop us."

Intrigued, Ryu appraised Hayate with a raised brow. "You've got a plan?"

"Don't I always?" Hayate grinned. "Come by the hold after you get off. Unless…you'd rather sell some more curios?"

This time, it was Ryu's turn to scoff. "If you even think about doing this without me, I'm going to hunt you down and kill you myself. And then cut up your remains. And then I'm going to scatter all the little pieces. Or worse, I'll make you buy a clock."

"Ugh. Anything but that." When threatened with another dusty timepiece, Hayate backed away. "All right, all right! Sheesh. Just don't be late. The party starts at eight, so no later than five, got it?"

"You just make sure this plan of yours works," Ryu retorted. But, true to the shinobi code of silence, the shop was already empty.

-

Ryu landed lightly on the roof of the house just as the sun was starting to set. Now that he thought about it, he'd been gone all day. His clan was probably starting to notice his absence right about now. He hadn't even bothered going home after work, the anticipation of events underfoot pumping his blood full of adrenaline that sped him straight through the thick woods and through the dark alleyways of the Mugen Tenshin hold. He made it to the roof of Hayate's home shortly thereafter, and was wondering if the coast was clear when he heard someone trying to catch his attention from below.

"Hayabusa-san!"

He knew that voice. Quickly looking over the edge, he saw Kasumi in the courtyard waving up at him. She clearly had been expecting him. In spite of him self, Ryu smiled under his mask, and returned the wave.

She waited until he landed on the ground next to her before saying, "Nii-san told me you were coming. He said to tell you he might be late coming back, and that there might be a problem."

A problem? That didn't bode too well. Ryu's worry must have shown on his face, because Kasumi suddenly looked concerned. "Excuse me…Hayabusa-san? Can you tell me what this is all about?"

It figured that Hayate wouldn't tell Kasumi anything. He wondered how much she knew even about Fame Douglas and DOATEC. "It's…a little complicated, Kasumi."

The reaction he got was not one he had been expecting. Kasumi's expression became very cross. "That means it's dangerous, doesn't it?" she said, flatly. "You think this…whatever it is you're hiding is too dangerous for me." Her eyes flashed angrily. "You think I can't handle it?"

Ryu fumbled for words. "What? No! I mean…"

"I'm not a child anymore," Kasumi exclaimed exasperatedly. "I might have expected this kind of behavior from Nii-san, Hayabusa-san, but not from you."

"Kasumi, that's not—it's not like that."

Her voice was defiant. "Then tell me what it is you and Nii-san are planning."

Ryu was at a loss. A rational voice in the back of his mind told him that having Kasumi as an ally could be helpful—useful, even. But…it was a small voice. Because on the other hand…on the other…. He took a deep breath. "Kasumi, I—"

"Ryu!" Neither had noticed Hayate's arrival until he called out. His expression, as he came to join them, was grim. "We need to talk," he told him, seriously. "Alone," he added, giving his sister a pointed look. Kasumi glared, but Hayate remained inflexible. With a huff, Kasumi spun on her heel and stalked off.

As soon as she was gone, Hayate ushered them indoors. "I don't have long," he said hurriedly as he led the way to his room. He was quick to come to the point: "I can't come with you."

"What?" Ryu protested. "You can't be serious!"

But Hayate's face showed that he was indeed dead serious. "As it is, I'm only supposed to be here to pick up equipment, and then I have to leave for a mission."

"So, get out of it!"

"That's not so easy, anymore, Ryu," Hayate muttered. When his friend gave him a puzzled look, Hayate wordlessly held up the sheathed sword he had been carrying. Ryu hadn't noticed anything special about it before; his mind had otherwise been preoccupied. But now that he got a closer look at it, he could see the intricate markings on the hilt.

"You've been promoted?"

"Kinda seems weird if a squad leaves without their captain, doesn't it?" Hayate muttered dismally.

"So," Ryu said slowly, "this is the problem you've been talking about."

Hayate shook his head. "No, it gets worse. Listen, Ryu, no matter what happens, you have got to be at DOATEC tonight. I was made captain this afternoon—it's why I was late. I've only got half an hour before I leave on my first mission. And what's more, my squad's not the only one going out tonight—almost ten squads have missions."

Ryu was visibly stunned. "Ten?"

Hayate nodded. "This can't be a coincidence. DOATEC here, and nearly the entire Mugen Tenshin clan on the move. Ryu, you have to get in there no matter what."

Ryu swallowed but nodded. "What do I have to do?"

Hayate began rummaging through his closet. As he did, he said, "DOATEC is interested in fighters of all kinds. Pretend you're a practitioner of karate studying under Master Kuroda at his dojo. You're familiar with his fighting style?" Ryu made a noise in the affirmative. Kuroda's name was familiar in a few martial arts circles, and his dojo had a very good reputation, but it was still small enough to not have attracted any gratuitous attention. "Good," Hayate continued. "Tell them Master Kuroda invited you go in his stead."

"And what if Master Kuroda himself shows up? Won't I have a hard time explaining how he doesn't recognize his own student?"

"Master Kuroda doesn't even know he's been invited," Hayate scoffed while tossing a white envelope towards him. Ryu caught it and opened it up.

"You stole his mail?" Ryu was aghast.

"Now is not the time to be arguing about that," Hayate said impatiently. "Here," he said, shoving some clothes at him, "these should fit you. Black-tie only, remember? You need that invitation to get in, so don't lose it. And also think of a fake name before you get there." Ryu nodded, already mentally going over one that would be easy to remember.

"And remember, Ryu," Hayate added, turning to face his friend. "This place will be full of God knows what. Remember to watch your back."

Before Ryu could make some kind of reply, the door to Hayate's room suddenly flew open and a voice rang out: "No. He won't have to because I shall watch it for him." Kasumi stood in the doorway, hand on hips, eyes bold with determination.

"Kasumi! What the hell are you doing here?"

The forthcoming answer was obvious. "I heard everything, Nii-san. I'm going, too."

"No, you're not," Hayate snapped. "You're going to pretend you heard nothing and you're going to _stay here_."

"Hayabusa-san is going to need the help," she retorted. "He won't be able to concentrate on spying if he has to keep looking over his shoulder. And, he'll stand out too much if he shows up to that place alone."

That was about the stupidest and most irrelevant thing Hayate ever heard. "No, he won't."

Kasumi rolled her eyes. Honestly, sometimes her brother just knew nothing about high society. "Yes, he will," she insisted. "What kind of VIP shows up to one of these things without an escort?"

"That sort of thing doesn't matter! You're staying here, and that's final!"

"I'm going, and you can't stop me."

Hayate let out a roar of frustration. "Why are you being so difficult about this?"

Kasumi coolly returned his glare. "Nii-san. If you don't get ready for your mission, you're going to be late."

From the look on his friend's face, Ryu decided he'd better intervene before Hayate inflicted bodily harm upon his sister. "Hayate," he ventured, "maybe she had better come." The expression Kasumi gave him glowed with gratitude, but Hayate looked as though he'd just been stabbed in the back. "The two of us could cover more ground," Ryu reasoned. "And infiltration always works better with a team." Hayate was quiet. Ryu could tell he was still inwardly fuming but was beginning to see he was fighting a losing battle. Ryu wished there was a way he could reassure him somehow. So, he added, "Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to her. I swear it."

There was no immediate response. Kasumi and Ryu waited expectantly watching Hayate's unfeeling expression, his jaw silently moving in some sort of unvoiced reproach.

"…All right," Hayate said instead when he finally spoke, his voice uncharacteristically dull.

-

While Hayate left to gather equipment for his own mission, Ryu hurriedly changed out of his _gi_ into the borrowed clothes. Opening the door, he stepped out into the hallway to find Hayate before he left. As he walked, he passed by a storage room more akin to a walk-in closet. A large wooden dresser decorated with intricate carvings stood off to the side. Smaller shelves with brass accents stood about it filled with lacquered boxes and mirrors. The room smelled of age and disuse of careful preservation. As he passed by, he heard a voice hail him from this room.

"Hayabusa-san."

Ryu stopped mid-stride to face Kasumi standing in front of the large wardrobe dressed in a red evening gown that came down to her ankles. She was currently fumbling with the ends of the halter bodice that tied off around the back of her neck. Kasumi gave him a pleading look. "Do you think you could…?"

Ryu swallowed audibly, but he took the few hesitant steps needed to make it to Kasumi's side. He regarded the tiny clasp before him and wondered why the hell he was so damn nervous—just hook that clasp onto the chain, Ryu, no problem. But he couldn't quite keep the shake out of his hands as he took them up.

Kasumi stiffened at the light touch on the back of her neck as Ryu's fingertips grazed her skin. Though expected, their rough and unfamiliar texture surprised her just the same. She resisted the urge to shiver as she felt his warm breath tickle the edge of her ear, and silently, if half-heartedly, she berated her self for getting into this position in the first place. She chewed on her lip. She should just break away. And yet, she wasn't able to move an inch. With the exception of the fluttering in her chest, she was absolutely cemented where she stood.

Ryu, on the other hand, was hell bent on concentrating on what should have been a simple and easy task. He missed several times before he managed to successfully attach the hook onto the chain. But after he was done, instead of simply letting go, his fingers started to slowly trace down the tail of the chain, feeling the smooth edge of each link one at a time. He watched like a man mesmerized as each round link left his fingers for the favor of Kasumi's back, creating a smooth line down the soft indent between her shoulders.

The loud, harsh sound of someone clearing his throat broke their reverie. Leaping forward away from those hands, Kasumi, face flushed, hurriedly thanked Hayabusa-san and skittered from the room while mumbling something about finishing getting ready. Ryu was left to face Hayate's hard stare alone. There was no doubt that he saw—that he _knew_.

"Ha—hayate…"

"Ryu," Hayate said, cutting into anything his friend might have said, "I've…been meaning to talk to you for a long time. About Kasumi." Inwardly, Ryu tried to quell that gaping feeling in the pit of his stomach. Oblivious to his friend's discomfort, Hayate continued:

"Listen, Ryu, if things weren't the way they were—if you weren't who you were, or if she wasn't who she was—things would be different. You're literally the best man I know, and there's no one I can think of who would deserve her more. Hell, I'd probably even encourage it.

"But," Hayate continued, taking a deep breath, "this is the Mugen Tenshin, and she's the clan head's daughter. Listen, I'm saying this because I know you. The clan doesn't look favorably on relations with outsiders in the first place. Marriage is even worse, even though there have been exceptions. But it's worse because it's not like you can just up and leave the Dragon clan. And she can't leave the Mugen Tenshin. It's our way. Do you understand, Ryu? This is _not _going towork. So, I'm asking you, as your friend, please…give this up. Walk away. Find someone else."

A million things ran through Ryu's mind as Hayate's words resounded inside his head like bullets. Calling himself all sorts of fools for even daring to feel that sense of vertigo he was now experiencing, he forced down all protests and replaced them with the words he had always knew to be true but hadn't wanted to face.

"I know," Ryu said at last. "I know. It's…it's nothing. It's nothing."

Hayate gave him an approving nod. "You better get going."

"…Right."

-

The cruise ship moored in the Odaiba dock glowed on the night sea. All the lights were lit, and its decks were strung with bright bulbs. From beside him, Ryu heard Kasumi give a gasp of appreciation at the impressive sight.

They made their way through the throng of people—men fidgeting with their ties and women with diamonds glittering around their necks. While most of them were elderly—investors, Ryu thought, or highly respected personages in martial arts—he was gratified to see that by no means were they the youngest guests in attendance. A few who couldn't be older than middle school students strutted about, eager to use this opportunity to make a name for themselves. Good. Their arrogance would help divert attention away from Kasumi and himself.

When it came to be their time to board, Ryu handed the porter the stolen invitation. "Ishida Kenji," he said, "introducing" himself, "studying under Master Kuroda. My master sends his regrets at being unable to attend, but asked me as one of his closest pupils to attend in his stead. This is Miss Ogawa Shizuko, my guest." The porter took a moment to verify the invitation, then gave a deep bow and waved them forward.

The instant they made it up the ramp onto the top deck, Kasumi let out the breath she had been holding in. "That went well," she said, relieved. Ryu had to agree. It was a bit unnerving how sneaky Hayate actually was, but for the time being, he figured it was to their advantage. "So now what?" Ryu glanced around at the assemblage, wondering the same thing. Where to start?

"Maybe it's better if we establish our presence a little bit," Kasumi suggested. "It might make it easier to blend in afterwards." Ryu could see no problem with that, and when he said as much, she then ventured, "A dance, first. Then when we go to get a drink, we'll be able to mingle without suspicion. What do you think, Hayabusa-san?"

Ryu nodded to show his approval. "Sounds like a plan." And to make it complete, he figured that they might as well give them a good show. Feeling bold, he offered his arm to her, which she graciously accepted with a smile. The pair made their way to the dance floor.

As they took their places, it occurred to Ryu that he had never danced before. Ever. Stalwartly he told himself that this was merely another challenge that he, as a shinobi, would have to overcome, and he tried to tell himself it was no big deal as he placed his hand around Kasumi's small waist. Fortunately, he found out fairly soon after the dance began that by copying the moves from the couples next to him he could fake it pretty well, but only by intense concentration. So, for a while they waltzed in silence, Ryu too busy focusing all his attention on keeping up with the steps to do anything else.

Kasumi's light voice eventually broke into his thoughts. "Ne, Hayabusa-san? This is your first time dancing, isn't it?"

Ryu came dangerously close to mashing Kasumi's toes on the next step. "What," he coughed, "makes you say that?"

Kasumi bit down on her lip to suppress the giggle that threatened to bubble forth. "Well," she said, "for one thing, in a dance, you're not really supposed to move like you're sparring."

Ryu reminded himself that there was no reason to be embarrassed during training. Mistakes were part of the lesson. "Was I being obvious?"

"Just a little."

Ryu almost sighed. "This stuff would probably be a lot easier if it _were_ sparring."

"Just relax," Kasumi urged. "Your steps shouldn't be so heavy. It should be natural."

"I think part of the problem is that it doesn't really feel all that natural for me," Ryu admitted. "None of it does. It's…different from ninjutsu."

Kasumi appeared to consider his words for a moment. Then she shook her head. "Actually, I don't think it's all that different. Just follow the rhythm and you'll be fine." She paused for a moment, and then suddenly said: "How did you choose that name, Hayabusa-san?"

"Ishida Kenji?" Kasumi nodded. "I didn't really have a specific reason, I suppose. Ishida was just the first thing that came to mind. Kenji…I guess after my father."

"It's a strong name," Kasumi agreed. "I…hear Master Hayabusa is an amazing man. An amazing shinobi," she corrected.

"He is."

"You must be very proud of him," Kasumi said, her eyes getting a wistful look that puzzled him.

Ryu shrugged it off and nodded. "Ever since I was young, I remember wanting to be like him. He was the strongest shinobi I knew, and he had such strong principles. He never faltered in upholding what he truly believed in. It is my hope," he added, quietly, "that I'll be able to do the same."

"I know you can, Hayabusa-san."

Ryu gave her a lopsided half-grin. "All right, you made your point. I'm dancing just fine now, aren't I?" Kasumi just smiled innocently in response.

The obligatory dance done, the pair left the dance floor in favor of the refreshment table. Technically a minor (even though Hayabusa-san _did_ swear he wouldn't tell anyone), Kasumi decided to forego the flutes of champagne and instead headed towards the strawberries. Ryu, on the other hand, not the least compelled, made a beeline for the spiked punch bowl. Sure, he was on a mission. But he needed a drink after this night. He had too much to think about.

Picking up a cup, he was reaching for the ladle when he felt a light touch at his elbow. He turned to face a stunning woman smiling—or perhaps smirking was a better word for it—up at him. Her air was confident, as was her pose, standing with one hand resting on her hip. "Would you be so kind as to fill one for me, too?" she asked, gesturing to the cups. Ryu hasted to comply.

"Thank you," she said, as she took the cup from him. She took a deep drink, closing her eyes as she did so. Her long lashes rested on her light skin in perfect continuity with the musky gradient of eye shadow on her lids. She sighed in contentment as she lowered her glass, and then she opened her eyes and looked back into Ryu's.

He was somewhat taken aback by the chill that shot right through him from that gaze. The icy clarity of those gray eyes held his reflection captive in what was an almost suffocating, even stare completely at odds with the warm smile that graced her lips.

"Ah, now that _was_ refreshing," the lady murmured to him over the rim of the cup. "I must be getting old. It's so hard keeping up with these young men!"

Ryu eyed the woman skeptically. She couldn't be a year older than he was, and he said as much.

"Oh, you flatter me!" the woman said with a laugh. "But you can't fool me. I already saw your…prowess on the dance floor. But still," she said, eyeing him up and down, "gentlemen these days are such a rarity, so I thank you for trying to humor me."

"Actually," Ryu admitted, a tad sheepishly, "that was the first time I danced in my life."

The woman made a sound of surprise. "Impossible! You handled it like a pro!"

Ryu chuckled. "Now _you're_ flattering _me_."

"I beg your pardon," the woman said quickly, "but it just comes as such a shock. I was so sure…but, ah yes, I see. Martial artists just must be naturally skilled when it comes to being graceful. You see," she confided with a saucy grin when she saw Ryu's look, "I can tell. The way you're so sure on your feet, you _had_ to be."

Ryu pondered that. Surely this woman must know that most of the guests were related to the martial arts some way or another, so it wouldn't be a completely random deduction. "I suppose there is that way of looking at it…" he allowed.

"So, tell me, mister….?"

"Ishida Kenji."

"Mr. Ishida, then. Or would you mind terribly if I called you Kenji?"

"Not at all." It wasn't really his name anyway.

"Kenji." The woman made that same smile. "I do like the sound of that. What sort of form do you practice, Kenji?"

"Karate. Under Master Kuroda."

"Indeed?" The woman looked sufficiently impressed. "I've heard a little bit about his school. Tell me, Kenji, is he as strict as they say?"

"No more than one expects out of an excellent master," Ryu said. He figured that was a safe enough answer.

"Well, I'm sure you do your master and his school credit. I'll bet you're his best student."

"I try," Ryu rejoined. And then, to make sure that he wasn't the only one being interrogated asked: "Are you also a student of karate?"

The woman gave a short laugh. "Oh, no. I don't have nearly enough talent. I seem to lack the upper body strength," she said apologetically. "I'm more of an _aficionado_, if you will. When I heard about this gathering, I just simply _had_ to come."

Ryu started. "But…I was under the impression that only invited guests were allowed to come."

"Of course," she answered flippantly. "I have many friends in these circles. Some of them are quite high-ranking, and they were able to get me into this event. If you'd like, I'd be happy to introduce you to them. I'll bet they'd love to meet you, too."

Ryu couldn't believe his luck. This was precisely the kind of opening he and Kasumi had been hoping for. And he eagerly began to respond when the band started to play again.

"Well!" the woman said. "This sounds like it's more my speed. So, what do you say, Kenji? How about one more turn before we go?"

"Well, I—"

His companion arched a brow in a way that clearly said this wasn't a favor. "Now, now, Kenji. A gentleman is suppose to acquiesce to his lady's request if he ever hopes to…curry her favor."

"Naturally, but I—should really tell my guest where I'll be…"

The woman sniffed, "Pish-posh. I won't keep you long." Her lips curled up in a sly grin. "You don't want me to stomp off in a huff, do you?"

Quickly, Ryu glanced around for Kasumi, but she was nowhere to be seen. Ryu sighed under his breath before offering his arm to his new dancing partner. "May I have this dance, Miss…?"

The lady waved the formality away with her hand. "Please," she said, "call me Christy."

-

Kasumi hadn't been alone long when she felt a presence behind her. She paused in the middle of reaching for another strawberry and turned around to see just whose eyes she felt burning into her back.

The man she faced gave her a polite bow and a look that she was familiar with by now but that still confused her. She furrowed her brow. Did she know this man?

The man approached her and, picking up a plate, also started to help himself to refreshments. During this time, Kasumi found it curious that she couldn't take her eyes off of him. There was something about him that monopolized her gaze, and the vague thought that she should really stop staring lest he find her doing so floated at the fringes of her mind. And, as though he caught wind of what was going through her head, he suddenly turned towards her and looked into her eyes. And then he smiled and asked, "All alone?"

Kasumi started out of her reverie at his voice. "I…I…" The man's courteous smile didn't waver, but his eyes remained cool and unimpressed. Kasumi scrambled to put her thoughts together. "Ah, no!" She winced as she felt her voice break awkwardly, and she quickly fought to bring it back under control. "No," she said, calmer this time. "I'm here as a guest of an attendee." And thinking that it was probably a good time to introduce herself, she added, "I'm Ogawa Shizuko."

This seemed to go over better with the man. He gave her a pleased smile. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Ogawa."

"No, no," Kasumi returned hastily, "the pleasure's all mine, mister…?"

"Just call me Vic," the man said amicably.

"Vic…" Kasumi said, slowly, trying it out. It felt weird.

"It's short for 'Victor'," he supplied, helpfully.

"That's a very strong sounding name," Kasumi said quickly, by way of apology.

"Yes," Victor agreed. And he went on to explain: "My father chose it. When I was little, he often said that he wished for me to become strong enough to conquer all my enemies."

Kasumi made a sound of understanding. "I see. So, American names have meanings, too."

"But Japanese names have meaning, too, don't they? So, what does 'Shizuko' mean?"

Kasumi quickly thought of a common understanding of the word. "It means, 'calm child'."

"Calm…child…"

"Yes, well, you see…Japanese girls often are given names that are soft and feminine. Not very strong sounding."

"No," Victor agreed. "Not strong at all. Which is kind of…disappointing. But," he said, "I can tell that your name is something of a misnomer. You're actually pretty strong, aren't you?"

Kasumi blinked. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh, well…just being here probably means you study martial arts, too, right?"

"A little," Kasumi said vaguely.

"You see?" Victor said, triumphantly. "And I bet you're pretty good at it, too, right?"

"Well, I wouldn't say 'good'…."

"Come now. Don't be modest. I've seen plenty of fighters in my line of work, and I can tell just by the look of people how strong they are. I can tell that you're one of the strongest fighters I've come across in a long time."

Kasumi's curiosity was piqued. "Oh? And what do you do for a living, Victor-san?"

"I'm Vice-Chairman for DOATEC, Inc," was the astonishing answer. Kasumi's breath hitched in her throat. Just the kind of person they were looking for! All she could do was gape, but, oblivious, her companion continued to speak: "I'm currently heading the coordination of DOATEC's latest project: a tournament fighting series. But," he added, his voice dropping to a low, conspiring whisper, "it's all very hush-hush for the moment. I suspect you'll hear the announcement later tonight."

"Then—then this party—"

"Another one of my pet projects," Victor said. "So, tell me. Is it to your liking?"

"Oh! Yes! Very much," she quickly assured him. "Thank you very much," she added, with a bow.

Victor chuckled and waved away her profuse expressions of gratitude. "It's my job, after all. And besides," he added, "these types of events allow me to meet beautiful girls like you. That's enough of a reward for me."

"But still! I had no idea I was talking to such an important person."

"Shizuko," Victor said, cutting her off, "I thought we were passed that. Why, we're practically friends now, aren't we?"

"I…I…"

"Tell you what. How would you like to meet some of the people from DOATEC?"

_Score!_ "Oh, but I couldn't ask you to do something so troublesome…"

"It's no trouble at all," Victor assured her. "Besides…" he said with a drawl, "it's not like I'm not asking for anything in return."

At the leer that accompanied that rather ominous condition, Kasumi involuntarily shivered, but nevertheless asked, "And what's that?"

Victor offered his arm out to her. "You owe me the next dance."

Relieved, Kasumi let out her breath in a laugh. "You drive a hard bargain, sir."

Victor cocked a grin. "Don't I though. Shall we, then, mademoiselle?" Charmed, Kasumi accepted his arm and they gravitated towards the center of the dance floor.

No sooner had they gotten to their starting positions than when the band suddenly stopped playing, and the general lights dimmed. A spotlight shot out of the darkness and pointed to a spot on the stage in front of where the resting band still sat, and a man dressed in a suit accompanied by a mousy woman came forward and took the microphone from the waiting stand.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said in English and paused. At that time, the woman repeated his sentiments in Japanese. "On behalf of DOATEC, Inc. and the General Consulate of Japan, I would like to thank you all for attending."

As the man went through formalities, people began to fill-up the dance-floor space to hear the announcements better. As the space became tighter, Kasumi found her self pushed up against Victor, who in turn didn't seem to mind in the least. In fact, as the crowd grew larger, he put his arms around her waist and drew her tight up against him. He shrugged at her surprised expression and gestured with his head towards the crowd as explanation. Telling herself that it was just so they wouldn't get separated, she forced herself to calm down and turned her attention towards the stage.

"…and so," the Master of Ceremonies was saying, "it is my great privilege to introduce tonight's keynote speaker—DOATEC's chairman, Fame Douglas." Amidst polite applause from the audience, an elderly gentleman came up from the side and took the microphone offered out to him.

Kasumi hadn't known what to expect from Fame Douglas. She didn't even know of his existence, let alone importance, until this afternoon. Her first impression, though, was that he certainly didn't seem the type to stir up trouble. His poise was stately and professional, and his speech, although she didn't understand it until it was translated, carried a calm and down-to-earth quality to it. He could've been a priest, or a grandfather.

"…yes, it certainly has been a great year for DOATEC," he was saying. "But we here at DOATEC also strive to the future.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Fame Douglas said, "we live in uncertain times. With technology come great advances, but also great risk and responsibility. For every life that could potentially be saved, there's also the chance that another life will be taken through means of warfare or maliciousness. In our modern age, we are at risk of forgetting what it means to have all these advances. We take them for granted. We forget the sacrifices that go into them and remember only their convenience. And we forget the responsibility that comes with them and think of only how to press it to our advantage."

Here Fame Douglas paused. The audience, solemnly quiet, waited patiently for him to continue. At length, he said, "This is why I've called you all here tonight. You, martial artists, fighters, warriors—all. You have not forgotten what it means to have power with discipline. You have not forgotten the rhetoric of hard work. And most of all, you have not abandoned the principles of fighting with a code of honor." Here, there were murmurs of agreement and pride. "_You_ are our hope," Douglas continued. "In these times of uncertainty, you must act as our pillars of strength, and our examples of virtue. People the world over must be allowed to see you and admire you. And that is why," he said, as a screen behind him lit up and a presentation began, "DOATEC is proud to sponsor the Dead or Alive tournament series."

Kasumi's eyes widened as she saw the words flash across the screen overhead. Suddenly her mouth felt very dry. "Dead or Alive…?" she whispered.

"The tournament series I told you about before, remember?"

"Don't be alarmed at its name," Douglas said with a chuckle. "It's merely to reflect the nature of the tournament, and not the practice. We hope to bring together hardcore fighting in a friendly, competitive environment. Fighters from all over the world will be allowed to compete against each other and showcase their great talents. In this way, we hope to foster friendships and mutual respect between individuals and also countries."

Douglas continued to talk, but Kasumi's concentration was interrupted by a nudge. "Hey, Shizuko," Victor whispered against her ear, "let's get some air. I can barely breathe."

"But…" Kasumi sent a reluctant look towards the stage.

"It's all right," Victor assured her. "I'll introduce you to the old man later. You can ask your questions up close and personal."

Mollified, Kasumi nodded. "All right," she whispered. With a tight grip on her hand, Victor led them through the thick throng of people outside into the open night sky on deck.

-

Maybe the break was a good idea, after all, Kasumi mused while watching the night sea. She hadn't realized how hot it had been below decks until she felt that first gush of ocean breeze on her arms. And it was refreshing getting away from the crowds. The only noise out here was the peaceful sound of waves lapping against the sides of the ship that lulled Kasumi into a sleepy repose.

She started only slightly at the cold touch on her cheek. Victor, holding a flute of champagne, grinned and held up his own glass in a mock toast. Kasumi took the proffered drink and looked at it doubtfully.

"I…I don't really drink," she confessed.

"Perhaps not on land," Victor said, "but out here is a different story." He gestured towards the vast empty blackness before them. "Sea. Stars. You can't deny a setting as perfect as this a toast. And," he said with a roguish wink, "you can't deny it when the company is this perfect, either."

Kasumi laughed, that tension that had begun to rise falling down again, and regarded the glass she held in her hands. Champagne, she thought, was really quite beautiful. The golden color practically glowed. And, the bubbles were cute, too. She had to admit, she was curious about the taste, as well. Mind made up, Kasumi grinned back. "I guess one drink won't hurt," she said.

"That's the spirit," said Victor, raising his cup. Kasumi did the same. "Here's to a beautiful night." They clinked glasses.

The bubbles tickled on her nose as she took her first sip. Finding it bitterer than she had expected, she nonetheless dutifully polished off the entire flute. She started to feel the effects as soon as she lowered her glass.

"Oh, my…" she said, holding her head. She felt Victor catch her as she unintentionally stumbled forward with the rocking of the ship. "I…must've drunk that too fast." Victor didn't answer, but Kasumi didn't notice as the ship started to suddenly whirl out of control. The glass slipped from her lax fingers, and her eyelids drooped closed as she fell into a deep sleep.

As soon as she stopped moving, Victor slid an arm behind her knees and lifted her into his arms. He carried the comatose body over to a nearby bench and laid her down. Then, he hurriedly rifled through his jacket pockets and pulled out the necessary materials. With practiced ease, he constructed the syringe and, quickly locating a suitable vein, began to fill it. No sooner had he finished than he heard the decisive footstep behind him. Without bothering to turn around, he said, "Has it started?" There was no response, but that told him all he needed to. Pulling out the needle and stopping off the sample, he tossed it to Christy and said, "Take care of this."

Catching it in one hand, Christy nodded and quickly slipped it into her bodice. "We must leave with the crowd, sir."

Victor nodded, but made no move to stand. Instead, he raised a hand to the side of the sleeping girl's face and languidly traced the edge of her cheek. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Christy did not answer, but he wasn't really expecting one anyway. "And so young. Who knew that shinobi came in a package like this?"

Finally, Victor Donovan slowly rose and laughed derisively. "I guess we can't complain. Not when ninja do us a favor and come to _us_."

Spinning on his heel, Victor snapped his fingers. "Come on, Christy. We've still got some more work to do before the night is out."

-

It had happened too fast. Ryu was still coming to grips with what he just saw. One minute Fame Douglas was talking long-windedly about his ideals for a new future, and then his face suddenly contorted with perverse surprise before the front of his tux exploded in a burst of gruesome red.

Pandemonium was instantaneous. The air was pierced with several shrill screams, and the crowd that just seconds ago had been bunched up against the stage suddenly stampeded for the door in panic. Christy had disappeared.

Ryu spun around wildly, but the sea of faces threatened to overwhelm him. "Kasumi!" Desperately, he fought his way out an exit onto the deck, and immediately tried to pick Kasumi's face in the streaming masses. "Kasumi!" he tried again, aliases be damned.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red. Instinctively, he ran towards it and found her sprawled out on a bench unconscious.

"Kasumi, wake up!" he shouted, giving her shoulders a shake. She didn't stir, but Ryu smelled the alcohol on her breath when she exhaled. "Is she drunk?" Deciding now was not the time to be worrying about that, he quickly gathered her up in his arms, and dashed after the evacuating crowd.

-

Kasumi came to when they were halfway back, and, while still hazy and out of it, was able to run somewhat unsteadily on her own as long as Ryu pulled her in the right direction. Her disorientation was great, and Ryu wasn't able to gather much out of what happened. Nor was he very successful in making her understand what happened on his end of things. Except for one important thing.

"Fame Douglas is dead?" she gasped.

"Murdered," Ryu corrected grimly, without slowing down. "Right in front of everyone."

"What—how—?"

"It was so sudden. None of the details are clear. At any rate, we had to get out of there before our identities were compromised."

All Kasumi could manage to show her agreement was a nod of the head, but he couldn't see it. So she squeezed his hand instead. There was a momentary pause. Then she felt the pressure returned.

-

The trip back to the Mugen Tenshin hold took them considerably longer than their journey from it since with all the commotion it was safer to avoid public transportation and main roads. They arrived when the full moon rose to its highest point in the sky. Its beams lighted their path with their ghostly pale light as they cut across the empty village grounds.

Ryu, still in the lead picking their way through the darkness, didn't slow down even when they made it into the courtyard of Kasumi's home. In the shadows of the deck, he saw the dull glint of moonlight off of Hayate's scabbard. "Hayate!" he shouted and made a beeline for him. "There's been trouble! It's—" Ryu's voice trailed off, and he stopped his mad dash abruptly, causing Kasumi to crash into his back. He didn't even notice. His attention was fixed on the other men that were standing next to Hayate, expressions grim.

"Ryu…" Hayate offered weakly, trying to muster an apologetic semblance of a smile and failing miserably. He looked exhausted.

"Hayabusa-san, what's going on?" Kasumi asked, rubbing her nose a bit before peeking around her protector to see what made him stop so abruptly. Her eyes widened in shock and dismay as she finally saw what he did. "Fa—father!"

The Mugen Tenshin leader's anger was palpable, and he descended upon his daughter with frightening ferocity. Kasumi cried out in surprise and pain as her arm was seized in a bruising grip, tripping over her tall shoes and falling against her father as she was pulled off balance.

"Did I not tell you that you were not to leave this village?" he thundered to her frightened face, giving her a brusque shake. Ignoring the pleas and excuses that bubbled frantically from her lips, he didn't wait for her to regain her balance and instead started to drag her towards the house.

Hayate immediately tried to intervene. "Father, stop! Wait! It's my fault! Stop!" The older man didn't pause, merely shaking off his son's grip, and continued into the house, Hayate fast on his heels. Soon Ryu was alone in the courtyard with the other man that had been there—the man that he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of since he saw him—his own father.

Nothing was said for many moments. Ryu's mind utterly failed him. He was unable to get past the somber eyes that glared at him, the grim mouth that frowned at him.

Finally, Ryu swallowed hard and broke the silence. "Father, I—"

He abruptly stopped when he saw his father stride forward purposefully, his eyes hard and determined, until he was directly in front of him. Then, Ken Hayabusa raised his fist and brought it down across Ryu's face.

Ryu staggered back a few steps from the force of the blow. His cheek throbbed with the type of pain that Ryu knew was bound to leave a bruise, but he couldn't even find the presence of mind to care. All he could do was stare back into those eyes burning with a swirl of chaotic emotions.

Ken Hayabusa still trembled with a force that went beyond that blow. Slowly, he lowered his fist to his side, and asked in a low voice, "Do you have any idea what went on tonight?" After a slight hesitation, his son shook his head. "Our clans have been compromised."

Ryu's face paled visibly. "What? That's not possible!"

"Half the forces from each clan were mobilized tonight," Ken Hayabusa continued in that same, muted voice, as though he hadn't heard the outburst. "You must have known. The disappearances…and Fame Douglas…yes, we suspected him, too. If he were the one behind it all, he was the largest threat of all."

Ryu swallowed and waited, hanging on each second the pause strung out, for his father to explain.

Suddenly, the dangerous, glittering spark returned to his father's eyes. "It was an ambush, Ryu. They were _expecting_ us because they _knew who we were_."

Ryu suddenly found it hard to breathe. Dizzy from an abrupt wave of lightheadedness, he clutched his head and sat down on whatever rock was nearby. "That's not possible!" Ryu shouted, half to himself. He clenched his eyes shut. "Not possible…"

"Ryu," his father said sternly, "get up and pay attention." Ryu staggered to his feet. "A great deal of our shinobi were either killed or captured. We have no idea who we're fighting. But we do know one thing. Fame Douglas was—"

"Murdered," Ryu finished, his voice flat.

Ken Hayabusa's eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"

"I was there when it happened."

"What?" His father's breath caught. "….Did you do it?"

Ryu snapped out of his stupor. "What?"

"I asked you a question. Answer it."

Ryu, blood boiling, raised his face to meet his father's. "I did not." He saw his father's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Do you doubt me?" Ryu found himself asking, his own voice starting to mirror his father's low, dangerous tone.

"Did you not hear what I said?" Ken Hayabusa countered. "I said we were betrayed!"

"It wasn't me! I would never sell out my own clan!"

"Not even for a Mugen Tenshin princess?" Ryu's eyes grew wide. "I'm not blind, Ryu," his father said. "I could see what was going on with my own son. And I indulged your habits because it was natural for a boy your age."

Ryu took a deep breath. "Father," he said quietly, "it was not me. Kasumi has nothing to do with this. I didn't do it."

His father was silent for a moment. Then, he sighed and the severity seemed to deflate out him. "I know, Ryu," he said. "But what has happened is beyond us. It's beyond anything our clan has ever encountered before. Fame Douglas was murdered with a ninja's weapon, and now the Japanese government is going to be asking for shinobi blood if they want to prevent an international incident."

Ryu swallowed. "So…what are we going to do?"

"We entered into this alliance with the Mugen Tenshin for a reason, my son. It has been decided that the Mugen Tenshin clan head will turn him self over to the Japanese government."

"Hayate's father? But—!"

"His execution will probably be assured." The older man sighed heavily. "It is…regrettable."

"Regrettable? Father, this is lunacy!"

"It was the terms of our agreement when we made this pact. In exchange for the Dragon clan's information network within the Japanese government, most of the grunt work would be left to the Mugen Tenshin. Ryu, our clan has protected this land and generations of emperors for centuries. It is better this way."

"Ridiculous!" Ryu's angry voice exploded across the empty courtyard. "You would give up a man's life to save face?"

"What would you have me do then? Hmm? What would you have me do, Ryu? We are fighting against an enemy that hides themselves well and overpowered us. With our clans like they are, there's no way for us to launch any kind of counter-offensive. And the politicians will be coming after us come daybreak. Do you suggest I take out the entire Japanese Parliament?"

"No! That's not…" Ryu's voice faltered. "That's not what I meant," he finished, weakly.

Ken Hayabusa watched the turmoil shift over his son's face and sighed. Placing a hand gently on his shoulder, he said, "Ryu, these are no longer the simple times where we could fight according to our code of honor. The world has become a complicated, dangerous place. And it is your duty now, as my son, to be prepared to face all those dangers when the time comes. Remember, Ryu, the path of the shinobi is a hard one."

Ryu bowed his head in resignation. "I understand," he said finally. "I…I just wish there were some other way."

"I do, too." The older man took in a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "It's been a long day. Why don't you head back and get some rest?"

Feeling numb inside and out, Ryu turned and walked out of the courtyard in the direction of home. He moved on auto-pilot, oblivious to his surroundings. It wasn't until he passed by the Hajin Mon dojo that the hitched sounds of quiet sobbing penetrated his mind.

The aura of the dojo was desolate and dark. A solitary light emitted from a room at one end of the quiet building, its glow dulled by the paper screens. Ryu hesitated a moment before moving slowly towards it. The flickering light made the shadow of the girl projected onto the screen door oscillate between sizes, but even with the movement, there was no mistaking the shuddering of her shoulders as she sat hunched over, a hand over her mouth to assumedly stop the violent sobs from escaping. There was also no mistaking who that was crying on the other side of the door.

"Ayane," Ryu called softly.

The shadow abruptly stopped shaking and sat up. "Who's there?" came the commanding though still shaky voice.

"It's me. May I come in?" Ryu asked.

There was a slight hesitation, but then the shadow stood and grew larger until the door slid open. Ayane stared back almost defiantly though her eyes still brimmed with unshed tears. Hurriedly, she scrubbed at them with her sleeve as she pivoted on her heel and disappeared back into the house, leaving the door open.

Ryu stepped inside, and glanced around uncertainly. Ayane soon reappeared with a cup of hot tea on a tray, and she motioned for him to sit down as she did the same. He obeyed, and she slid the steaming cup towards him.

Neither said anything at first, for it seemed that neither wanted to be the one to start. Ryu lifted the cup to his lips and took an obligatory sip. Ayane silently watched him drink.

Finally, Ryu sighed and set the cup down. "Ayane," he said gently, "do you think you can tell me what happened?"

Ayane's eyes flashed. "I'm sure you already know. As a squadron leader, you must be well informed."

Ryu didn't miss the insinuation. "Ayane," he said tiredly, "I know you're already familiar with the situation."

"Why did you abandon your post?" she demanded.

"I didn't abandon it." _I didn't even know I had it_, he wanted to add. But it sounded childish and defensive even to him self, and the words died on his lips. "Look," he finally said. "I won't try to justify my actions to you because…you're right." She shot him a look of surprise. "You're right," he repeated, half to himself. "It was my responsibility, and I failed." He closed his eyes and bowed his head towards her. "I'm sorry."

Ayane stared at him, and started in surprise at the hot tears that formed unbidden and slid down her cheeks. Belatedly, she tried to blink them away, but the torrent could not be stopped once started, and she began to cry freely in front of him.

"They were monsters," she heard her choked voice say. "They didn't fight like human beings. We were ambushed and completely overwhelmed. We didn't stand a chance. It was over so quickly…and Father…."

"Genra-san was taken?" Ryu said, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

Ayane could only nod at the memory. With great effort, she choked down on the stream of sobs and managed in a somewhat intelligible voice, "The rest of the Hajin Mon were ordered back to protect the clan head." Ayane slammed her hands down on the tatami mat. "I should have stayed!"

"It wasn't your fault, Ayane," he said gently. "You were following orders, the way you should've been."

" 'Following orders'?" She gave a hysterical laugh. "And who are you to tell me that I'm supposed to follow orders?"

"A squadron leader and the successor to the Imperial Dragon Clan." The words left his mouth before he knew it, and Ayane stopped laughing. "You're right, Ayane," Ryu said again, but not as gently as he had the first time, and as he continued, his voice grew in speed and strength. "I lost sight of my responsibility. I failed you, I failed my father, and I failed both of our clans." Ryu closed his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he murmured, though it was meant for him self.

For a moment, Ayane was struck dumb at the sudden change that had come over him. Then, coming to her senses a bit, she hastily offered, "Forgive my impertinence, Ryu-dono."

Slowly, he shook his head. "It's all right." Suddenly, he furrowed his brows. "Ayane, why do you suppose Genra-san and the others were taken prisoner?"

Ayane blinked at the question. "I…I'm not sure. Prisoners of war, I guess."

"Something's not adding up." At the puzzled look on her face, he explained, "If they're as strong as you said, they could've easily wiped out half of our force, and then stormed the hold and taken over without any problems. But they didn't follow any of you, correct?" She nodded, still unclear as to what Ryu was hinting at. "And Fame Douglas was murdered tonight," Ryu murmured to himself. Ayane gasped, but Ryu didn't even hear her and continued to ruminate. "He wasn't murdered by one of ours, that much is clear. But he was killed by a ninja, or so it would seem." His eyes snapped up. "Tonight's objective was to take Fame Douglas down, right?"

"Yes," Ayane replied. "But we were explicitly told to bring him back alive."

Questions whirled in Ryu's head. A rival ninja clan? That seemed plausible. After all, they couldn't possibly be the only ones who heard the rumor and viewed DOATEC as a threat. But then, why go so far as to fight against them when they weren't working at cross-purposes? And even more so, the capture of Genra-san and the others would make even less sense. Initially, Ryu would've thought that perhaps the ambush had been to protect DOATEC, but that didn't explain Douglas' death. Unless…

Ryu started and sat up suddenly, unknowingly upsetting the teacup. Ayane hurriedly scrambled forward to clean up the mess. Dabbing at the wet mat with the edge of her skirt, she glanced up at Ryu, who turned pale and started sweating profusely. His breathing became labored, and his eyes looked far away. "Ryu-dono?"

_Unless…capture **was** the objective…_

Slowly, Ryu's eyes came back into focus. He slowly turned towards his companion and Ayane was surprised to see the utter suspicion that lurked there. "Ryu…dono…?"

"Ayane…"

"…yes?"

"Can I trust you?" She continued to look confused. "Answer me this question truthfully: do you swear the pledge of loyalty as the new head of Hajin Mon ninjutsu to the Tenjin Mon faction?" He ignored the flash of pain that went through her eyes at the question and waited expectantly for her answer.

Finally, she said in a low voice, "Yes."

"Are you sure?"

Ayane bristled. "It is what my father would have wanted. I will honor the tradition."

"Even if…" he asked, "even if the new head is Kasumi. Would you swear loyalty to Kasumi?"

Ayane reddened. "What are you trying to say?"

"Just answer my question." And then, as an afterthought, he added: "Please."

Her jaw clenched, but she finally said, "I would." It was obvious the answer cost her a lot to say.

"And one last question," Ryu said softly. "Do you trust me?"

Her answer was immediate. "Yes."

"Even though I'm not of this clan?"

"Hayate-sama trusts you." It was all the answer he needed.

Ryu stood up, causing Ayane to do the same. "Ayane, I'm going to ask you to keep what I told you tonight in confidence."

Ayane nodded and asked, "Ryu-dono, what's going on?"

Ryu shook his head. "I have a hunch, but I think I should talk this over with Hayate. Would you tell him I'll come by and see him tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"All right. I'll be going now. Thanks for the tea." And with that, he headed towards the door. But before he stepped out, he said over his shoulder to the person he knew was still there, "Ayane…you…this isn't Kasumi's fault…you know that, right?" There was no response. "I know I can't force you," he said, "but it would be nice if you and she could get along. You're sisters, after all. You should be there for each other."

"She doesn't know anything about me," came the bitter reply.

"Somehow I think that there's no one who'll understand you better," Ryu said quietly, and took his leave.

-

Victor Donovan was feeling pretty good. And with good reason, too. All his endeavors as of late had been going like clockwork.

He was only half paying attention to Christy's report while absently tapping his pen against the stack of papers in front of him. His thoughts were otherwise happily occupied with auspicious prospects.

"And now if you turn your report to page fifteen," she was saying. Donovan went through the motion to keep her happy, "you'll see the results from the lab on the Chimera Corps project. As you can see, there have been problems."

"Problems?"

"Yes, sir," Christy said patiently. "The gene alterations appear to be too unstable to support for long periods. Currently, about 80 of the chimeras created have shown signs of breaking down and becoming unusable."

This was the first bad news Donovan heard in days. "80?"

"Yes, sir."

He sighed tragically and leaned back heavily, causing his high-backed leather chair to squeak in protest. His dream of creating a super strong army was crashing into flames. "All that research money…wasted!"

Christy made no reply.

Donovan tiredly rubbed his temples. "Does that mean most of our test subjects are used up?"

She nodded. "We still have a few more left over from that skirmish the other day."

"Ah," he said. That day in question had certainly been memorable, and a fond smile bloomed on his face as he recollected. "Do we still have our big fish?"

"Yes, sir," she confirmed, checking her papers. "Subject 332 has been reserved for Project Omega."

"Excellent." Well, at least he had that. He'd have to console himself the best he could. "Keep me informed on its progress."

"Yes, sir." Christy paused and scratched a note on her copy of the report. Then she asked, "Sir, have you looked over the submitted proposal?"

"Proposal?" Donovan quickly sifted through the pile until he located the particular sheet of paper he was looking for. "Ah, yes. Project Epsilon, was it? You may tell Dr. Schreiner that I give him my approval." And to make good on his word, he stamped a bright red seal on it and slid it across the table. Accepting the form, Christy tucked it into her folder.

"Dr. Schreiner wants to know who he should use as a test subject."

Donovan smirked. "Tell the good doctor to be patient. I've had my eye on a suitable test subject for some time now, and I think he'll do just fine."

"Understood," she said, making another note.

"Now, then. Was there anything else, Christy?"

His aide quickly glanced through her report. "Ah, one more thing, sir."

"Yes?"

"The labs have informed me an hour ago that Project Eo has been completed."

Donovan's eyes lit up with what one could only call glee. "Very good. Let's go take a look, shall we?"

"Very well, sir." Taking out her cell phone, she called up the lab and ordered them to have Donovan's latest success ready for inspection. After holding the door open, she followed him out of the office before shutting it behind them. Their reflections in brass plate on the door reading: "Victor Donovan, Chief Executive Officer," shrank as they went down the hall.

Donovan fairly skipped all the way to Lab 65. Of all the projects he was looking forward to, this one was the one he was most excited about. Technicians dressed in sterile white body suits stood at attention as he entered. The head scientist on duty came forward, hand extended. Donovan was in a good enough mood, so he deigned a handshake before briskly getting down to business. "So, Professor, what have you got for me?"

"Oh, I think you'll be pleased," said Professor…what was his name again? Donovan couldn't remember. Ah, well. It wasn't really important. "It was a perfect result," the nameless professor was saying. "She's a thing of beauty."

"Yes, I know," Donovan returned. Both men shared a belly laugh. "Well?" Donovan said expectantly. "Show me the goods."

"This way, sir."

The scientist led Donovan to an ante-chamber where they suited up in protective gear before entering the inner laboratory chamber. There was precious little in this smaller space except for a large console monitoring the chrysalis chamber in front. The scientist went over to console and pushed a few buttons. There was a beeping sound followed by the chamber door opening with a hiss of steam. At first, all Donovan could see were the fumes exhaling out from the hollow. But eventually, as the smoke began to clear, he could make out the curve of a woman's leg, unsteady from disuse that nevertheless came into clearer view as it stepped out into the room closely followed by its twin. And then came the torso, the neck, the face, in all their naked glory of scientific perfection.

The scientist behind the console beamed proudly under his facemask. "A perfect reconstruction of the DNA sample you provided us," he said. "She retains the agility, speed, and form. And," he added, remembering the specific modifications requested, "she's completely loyal to you."

Donovan's breath caught in his throat. At first, the only reaction he could manage was to stare. At the scientist's urging, he took a tentative step forward. And then another, followed by another, until he was looking directly into those amber eyes. Reaching out with a trembling hand, he cupped it under an ample breast, its weight tangible even through the thickness of his glove.

"Well, sir," someone was saying in the background, "have we met your expectations?"

"Yes. Yes."

-

On the third day after the day things began to fall apart, Hayate was shaken awake in the early morning hours before sunrise. His father stood above him. The grave look on his face told Hayate that it was the day.

Hayate dressed quietly and slowly, though he knew that it wouldn't help in prolonging what was to come. He slipped out of his room quietly, so as not to disturb the house's only sleeping occupant and followed his father out of the courtyard.

Despite the hour, many Mugen Tenshin ninja were already lining the street. At seeing the father and son pair come down the street, they cupped their fists at the level of their brows and bowed their heads in solemn salute.

At the edge of town waited a loan shinobi dressed completely in black. This man was to accompany his father to the appointed place and bring back a message when…. Hayate turned his eyes away.

"Saitou-san," he said, his voice hoarse. "A moment please." The ninja in black nodded and moved off. Now alone, but Hayate continued to stare at the ground. He knew what he wanted to say. But the words wouldn't come.

His father's voice broke the silence, as steady and as calm as he had remembered it from childhood. "A shinobi does not fear death, Hayate. As you are my son, you must know this."

"I know." Finally, Hayate had the courage to look into the face of the man he had condemned. "Father, it should be me."

The older man simply shook his head. "I do not wish for that." He gave his son a guilty, half-embarrassed smile. "It is my weakness as a father."

"But it was all my fault! The whole thing was my idea. Everything is my fault!"

The fifteenth clan head of the Mugen Tenshin gently placed his hands on his son's shoulders. "Hayate, you will protect this clan in my stead. Live and fulfill the destiny you were meant to take on. For that, my blood will be well spent." He pulled out a sealed scroll and held it out. "These are the official orders ordaining you as the sixteenth leader of the Mugen Tenshin. I am entrusting the future of this clan to you. I know you'll make me proud."

Hayate miserably accepted it. "Yes, sir."

"Take care of Kasumi." And, in a rare instance of affection, he pulled his son into a quick embrace. Then, signaling to Saitou, the two men turned and started to walk away.

"Father!" The older man paused and turned his head. The emotions welled up in Hayate's chest. _Say it. This is the last chance._ "I'm sorry!" he cried, the desperation of the words not nearly enough to encompass what he wanted to say. "I'm sorry."

The older man gazed gently at him. Then he nodded his head and walked away.

Even hours later, as Hayate stood in the same spot, the scroll yet clutched in one hand, he was still praying that his father would know what he was apologizing for.

-

Ryu found Hayate that afternoon in the last place he expected to look for him—the Mugen Tenshin meeting hall. The grand hall was only reserved for official meetings of the elite ninja, and was otherwise empty save for the lone figure sitting at the head of the room. On any other day, Ryu might have greeted his friend with a jibe on the location, but considering the circumstances, it made perfect sense that he should come here.

Hayate didn't look up even though he heard the echoing footfalls come towards him. Instead, he continued to flip through the ancient pages before him. At the corner of the small table in front of him sat, untouched, the sealed scroll.

"Is that…?" Ryu asked.

"Yes."

Ryu lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, Hayate."

His friend slowly shook his head. "It was his decision. I have no choice left but to honor it." Hayate gently reached out and touched the scroll. "As soon as we get word," he said softly, "I'm to give this to the elders and…." He released a shuddering breath. "You know, I knew this day was going to come someday. But I never imagined it was going to be like this."

Ryu didn't know what to say. Talk seemed cheap all of a sudden. He had meant to discuss business, but it hardly seemed the time and the place for that.

As though reading his mind, Hayate said, "I know why you're here, Ryu. But if you don't mind, let's hold off on it until later." He gave his friend a wry smile. "I'm technically not clan head yet, after all."

"Hayate…"

They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps running up the steps outside. A ninja in black burst into the room. "Hayate-dono."

Hayate stood up and addressed the ninja. "Saitou-san."

In response, Saitou got on his hands and knees, and bowed down until his head touched the floor.

"So it's done then," Hayate said without surprise.

"My Lord."

"Saitou." The man in question lifted his head. Hayate picked up the scroll and held it out to him. "Deliver this to the clan elders. They'll know what to do from there. And please, don't tell the village just yet. Give me some time…to tell my sister before…everyone knows."

Saitou came up and received the scroll with both hands. Then saluting once more, he disappeared to do as he was bidden.

Hayate waited until he was completely gone before giving an utterly defeated sigh. "Well," he said to no one in particular, "I guess I'd better…" His voice trailed off and abruptly he began walking out of the hall. Ryu, wondering if it was a good idea for Hayate to be left alone like this, followed.

They walked in silence and were almost home when they were stopped by someone running up to them with great haste and intent. "Hayate-dono!" Hayashi said, and greeted him with a proper bow. "And Ryu-dono," he added hastily, before turning back to Hayate. "Is it true, sir? About your father?"

Ryu started, but it was Hayate's stunned voice that managed first: "How do you know about that?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Hayashi said, quickly bobbing his head again, "but I overheard a few of the ninja talking about it."

"What?"

But Hayashi didn't stop to explain. Instead, he abruptly dropped down to his knees and bowed his head down to the ground. "Hayate-dono! Please give me give me permission to marry Kasumi-san!"

Ryu's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding!" he exploded. "Consider the situation!"

"It is because I'm considering the situation that I am making this request," Hayashi retorted. "The future of the Mugen Tenshin must be secured. If Hayate-dono becomes ordained, then there will be several reasons why it will be better for him if he has the assurance that Kasumi-san is provided for. Especially if he is going to avenge his father."

Ryu felt his blood chill. Unbidden, his father's words went through his mind with haunting clarity. _Remember, Ryu, the path of the shinobi is a hard one_. At this moment, he fully felt the weight of those words.

Hayate was silent but he took a staggering step backwards. The thoughts running through his head were starting to spin out of control. It was becoming too much. "I…" _Try to focus!_ "I'll consider your proposal, Hayashi," he heard himself say.

"Hayate!"

Ignoring Ryu's protest, Hayate repeated, "I'll consider it." Then: "Excuse me, I need to inform my sister about…our father."

Hayashi stood up. "But, she already knows."

All the chaos in his mind screeched to a halt. "What?"

"Ayane-san already told her. I thought you knew. Was she not supposed to?" Without another word, Hayate broke into a run. "Hayate-dono!"

"Hayate!" Ryu started to run after his friend but was pulled back by Hayashi's grip on his arm. Ryu spun around and narrowed his eyes in a manner that promised great pain if Hayashi didn't release his hold.

"Forgive me, Ryu-dono," Hayashi said, with an equally steely look despite his deferential speech, "but this is a Mugen Tenshin affair. And you are an outsider."

Ryu shrugged his arm out of Hayashi's grasp. "You've got some nerve," he said in a low, warning voice before continuing on his way.

Ryu caught up just enough to see Hayate enter the courtyard of his home. He saw him jump up onto the deck and throw open the door, but he was too far to hear him call out the way he knew he must have. By the time Ryu himself entered the yard, Hayate had already disappeared inside, though the door was still open.

Ryu slowed his advance as he began to hear the weeping. Approaching the door hesitantly, he eventually saw the figure of Kasumi huddled on the floor, her body shaking as she sobbed unabashed and aloud with screams of anguish. He saw Hayate hesitate only momentarily, before silently going over to her and slowly sinking onto the ground beside her. He watched from the doorway as Kasumi reached out desperately and flung her arms around her brother, her sobs becoming muffled as she buried her face in his chest. Ryu saw Hayate hold her close and murmur something he couldn't hear into her hair.

Careful not to disturb them, Ryu slowly turned and walked towards home.

-

Ryu returned later that evening but had none of the leisure that he had in the afternoon. Accompanied by a full honor guard, he knelt before the Mugen Tenshin elders, in full view of the rest of the clan, as Ryu Hayabusa of the Dragon Clan paying homage to the previous Mugen Tenshin leader whom had honorably fallen in the name of their alliance. When his gesture was recognized, he and his guard fell back to the rear of the crowd where they were expected to bear silent witness to the proceedings.

In the setting sun, Hayate, dressed in full regalia, came forward when beckoned by the elders and accepted the ceremonial blade held out to him with both hands. He then faced the crowd, the sixteenth leader of the Mugen Tenshin.

Ryu watched as the others pledged their loyalty to the new leader. It was mostly ceremonial anyway, he thought, as he watched Ayane come forward and swear an oath of loyalty on behalf of all the school of Hajin Mon. Each and every one that came forward today had already felt it for a long time. After all, he thought as he came forward on his turn, it was true for him as well.

It was another sleepless night since his inauguration that found Hayate pouring over scrolls and documents long after everyone else had gone to bed. The Mugen Tenshin, he quickly discovered, was a very well oiled machine and he felt a bit wistful at his belated admiration for his father's efforts at keeping the clan running.

The problem lied in their reduced numbers. The thing was, even with their numbers this diminished, it actually wasn't something they couldn't manage, but a lot of their key players had been taken out of the ranks. Namely, the leadership.

Hayate sighed wearily. Okay, so maybe the Hajin Mon would be all right. They pretty much functioned without any help anyway, and he knew Ayane was more than capable of keeping the school alive. That left the Tenjin Mon…. They were going to have to lay low for a while, that much was certain. If any missions were done, the teams would have to be small or individual missions. Which, Hayate mused darkly, was fine, since assassinations were often done alone. Effective immediately, there would still have to be several promotions, and he would keep the clan activities low-key until the new captains gained enough experience. With quick flicks of his brush, Hayate changed a list here and there, and then picked up his seal and stamped several of them to be operational come sunrise. Which left him with one more problem.

Intellectually, he knew why Hayashi's proposal was a smart one. Hayashi was a promising ninja as long as one told him exactly what to do. He was level-headed, a skilled fighter, and came from a pure lineage of Mugen Tenshin nobility. On top of that, he adored Kasumi above all else, so at least he knew that advancement of his social position wasn't Hayashi's _only_ objective.

…And then there was that little Ryu problem, as he liked to call it.

He was pretty sure the feeling was mutual between the two. Kasumi was as easy to read as an open book, but he hadn't really thought Ryu would indulge in such distractions. Oh, sure, he suspected. But he knew Ryu was no fool and had secretly been hoping his friend would realize its futility and find someone else. But, as they always say, there was nothing more unpredictable and nothing more powerful than the human heart. Hayashi's proposal would effectively solve all of that.

But could he really force Kasumi to marry someone she didn't love?

Already, Hayate could hear his father's voice in his head. _Don't be a fool. Of course you should accept it! She's too young to make a decision like this for herself. It's for her own good. This shouldn't even be a question!_

Hayate put his brush down and rubbed his temples. "Just leave me alone tonight, old man," he grumbled.

He paused sullenly. Then there was that final matter to take care of. A shinobi's filial code demanded that he seek retribution from the party responsible as his father's only son. Taking on the government would be ridiculous, and he already knew that their demands were merely political in nature to stop an international catastrophe. No, the real culprits were the ones who they fought that night. And if Ryu's theories were right, he was targeting DOATEC.

It was the same as issuing a death certificate.

But that brought his attention back to the previous quandary, and, he had to admit, it was the greatest factor tempting him into approving Hayashi's proposal. If Kasumi married, she would become part of Hayashi's family, and thus be free of having to avenge him when his inevitable death came. Her inheritance would not be affected, and hence the Mugen Tenshin would go on and she could live a happy, safe life.

But it was that theoretical 'happy' that was making him trip over his own thought processes. Would she really be happy? His gut feeling told him no.

As though in answer to his ruminations, the door slid open and revealed Kasumi with a tray bearing hot tea and some snacks. As though she was worried about interrupting him, she didn't say a word as she cleared away a corner of the table to set her tray down. Hayate thanked her and then deciding to use this opportunity, asked, "Kasumi, what do you think of Hayashi?"

Kasumi looked genuinely surprised. "Hayashi-kun? I don't understand."

"Just…what are your impressions of him in general?"

Kasumi remained unsure as to what these questions were directed toward, but she decided that honesty never hurt. "He's…a very promising fighter…" she ventured.

"I know that. What I meant was, as a person. Do you like him?"

Kasumi's face scrunched up before she even realized she did it. Flushing from embarrassment, she quickly smoothed it away and tried to say in a perfectly conversational tone of voice, "I don't hate him."

Her brother's reaction was unexpected. He sat back and laughed out loud. A real, honest laugh. "It's all right, Kasumi," he said still amused, after he calmed down. "I think your face told me all I needed to know."

Kasumi felt her ears go pink with warmth. "Nii-san…you smiled," she said, with a small one of her own.

Hayate grinned. "So, I did."

"It's just that…Hayashi-kun…well…." Kasumi paused trying to think of the right word she was looking for. "He's not very sincere," she finally said.

"Ah." Hayate cocked his head to the side for a moment, his expression telling her he was thinking very intently. At length he said, "It's late. Why don't you get some sleep?"

Kasumi nodded and stood to get up. "You should, too, Nii-san."

"Yeah, in a minute. Good-night."

"Good-night, Nii-san." The door slid shut behind her.

Hayate picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write.

-

Hayate made his wishes known at the next council, much to the elders' dismay. But the clan's code supported his decision, and there was no one there that could stop him. He prepared for his mission on and off between his other duties for the good part of a month. When he was finally ready, he timed his departure during one of Kasumi's missions.

He was kind of a coward that way.

By his orders, the only one to see him off that day was Ryu. His friend walked with him to the village gates, the trek there subdued and heavy.

Hayate cast a sideways glance at his friend. "You're quiet today," he said.

"This isn't the time to be making jokes, asshole," Ryu muttered softly, but without any real heat to his words. Both lapsed back into silence.

They didn't speak again until they reached their destination.

"Do me a favor, Ryu?" Ryu could only manage a nod. Hayate dug into his pack—packed light for a one-way trip—and pulled out a scroll which he held out to Ryu. "These are the official orders ordaining Kasumi as the seventeenth clan head. Could you deliver this to the elders before you leave?"

Ryu nodded and took the scroll. And then he waited silently, because it looked like his friend had something more to say.

Hayate looked hesitant for a moment, and then said, slowly, "There's a special stipulation on those orders that I added in. In them, I absolve her of any blood debt. She's…Kasumi's not to come after me or avenge me in any way." Ryu looked up, startled. Hayate took a deep breath. "If she does, she's to immediately be declared a runaway shinobi."

Ryu was stunned. "Hayate…"

"Listen, Ryu. You and I both know this is a suicide mission. I don't want her to throw her life away on something like this."

"I understand," Ryu said, gripping the scroll tightly in one hand. "Hayate, listen. You don't have to do this alone. Our clans are allies, remember? Even if you can't mobilize the Mugen Tenshin—"

"Ryu."

"Let us help you!"

"Ryu, I've already thought about it. But if I do that, I'll just be making more trouble for both of our clans. Besides," he said, "this is my responsibility. You of all people should understand that."

Unable to say otherwise, Ryu gave a defeated nod.

"Ryu…there's…one more thing…"

_Like I could deny a dying man his last request_, Ryu thought darkly. "What's that?"

"This might be asking too much," Hayate said, sounding more hesitant than he had throughout this entire day, "but…take care of Kasumi for me? It's…going to be really tough for her from here on out."

Ryu swallowed hard. "I will."

Hayate gave him a rueful smile. "Do I have your word on that?"

"I swear it," Ryu said, with the same intensity that he remembered from all those years ago.

Hayate breathed a sigh of relief and forced himself to grin. "Ryu, thanks…for everything," he said, holding out his hand. Ryu clasped it in a firm grip. And then they parted ways, and Hayate was gone.

-

Hayate landed on the roof of what was rumored to be DOATEC's Japanese branch around 3 a.m., judging by the position of the moon. The harbor it overlooked was predictably empty save for a few warehouse guards on the graveyard shift.

Pulling down the mask that covered the lower half of his face, he breathed in the cold night air, trying to calm down. There would be no real fighting tonight. The penetration of this building was for espionage purposes only, he chanted in his mind. After all, first he had to know who he was aiming to take down before he did it, since Fame Douglas was already dead. But for some reason, the nervous bubbling in his stomach didn't go away. Slapping his hands briskly to his face, he shook his head to clear it, and decided that the night wasn't going to stick around forever. He had better get to work.

Using a kunai to wrench a ventilation grate open, Hayate slipped inside the opening and crawled through the ducts until he came to another grid that led inside the building. Kicking it in, he jumped down from the duct and landed soundlessly on the catwalk hanging above what appeared to be a large shipping room. Considering the size of it, it must easily be the largest room in the entire building, which made Hayate frown. It made sense for DOATEC to have one, since they did much of their business through importing and exporting, but he had expected there to be…laboratories or something. But perhaps those were elsewhere.

He peered over the side of the rail, he saw the intimidating large gray box-like structures of what he assumed were the packing machines. Only…he squinted in the darkness. He couldn't be sure from his vantage point, but they didn't appear to be that old. Moonlight gleamed off the steel surface of the one closest to him. It was…huge. Were packing machines always this big?

A faint, echoing sound distracted him from his thoughts. Immediately, he ducked behind a stack of boxes on the opposite end of the catwalk. He had thought that the facilities would be empty by now, but if there were a few employees burning the midnight oil, he'd have to take care of them. Reaching into his pack slowly, he pulled out a long knife. He might even be able to use them for information.

He slowed his breathing to quiet the sound, and waited patiently for the light footfalls to get louder until they were close enough for him to make his move. At that point, he jumped out, intending to surprise his target.

Instead, he was the one surprised. Quickly jerking his arm to a halt in mid-swing, the blade stopped right against his victim's throat. Hayate blinked several times to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. "Kasumi? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Kasumi" didn't answer except for the heavy breathing of one surprised at having a sharp blade dangerously close to their throat. Hayate made a frustrated noise and angrily sheathed his blade. "Didn't I tell you not to come here?" he said furiously. "You could've been…" His voice trailed off as he finally got a good look just at whom he was yelling.

It was uncanny. They were practically identical, only Hayate had never heard of his mother giving birth to identical twins. Everything about her looked like Kasumi, except for that cruel smile that twisted on her lips. Hayate looked into her eyes, and a wave of chilling panic crashed over him. "Who—the hell are you?"

The girl didn't respond and instead lashed out with a strong kick aimed towards his head. Hayate quickly spun out of the way and jumped to a safe distance away. Okay, so it appeared that this Kasumi look-alike also knew her moves. Pulling out the knife once again, he charged.

The girl was quick. She dodged most of his attacks and wasn't afraid to counter-attack when she had the opportunity. The more Hayate fought with her, the more unnerved he got. Her moves were carbon copies of Kasumi's and so was her speed and agility. He grunted in pain as she kicked the knife out of his hand with a particularly swift kick to his wrist. The knife fell over the edge and made a huge clattering sound. Ignoring the pain, Hayate forced himself to recover fast and lunged in desperation for the open spot he saw, slamming his fist into her stomach.

The girl grunted in pain and staggered backwards into the railing behind her. Coughing fitfully, she looked up reproachfully at him. Hayate charged towards her and raised his fist until the girl rasped, "Nii-san!" Hayate stopped and hesitated, and that was all the girl needed to land a drop kick squarely on his chest, sending him tumbling over the edge of the rail and into the waiting void below.

His body slammed hard into the smooth floor, and for a moment, he was completely dazed by the impact, and so he didn't actually see the lights come on. Groaning in pain, he pushed himself up on sore arms until he was standing, every inch of his body screaming out from the throbbing. And that was when he realized that his sense of the room shrunk dramatically. "What the hell?"

He glanced around at the four metallic walls surrounding him. The floor appeared to be made out of a slightly different material. Gasping with a sudden burst of insight, Hayate quickly looked up just in time to see two mechanical panels come together and seal him in. Trying to move as quickly as he could with his injured body, he started to futilely bang against the sides, trying to find some structural weakness he could exploit. But as he did so, he heard a soft hissing sound and he realized with horror that he could see wisps of some discolored smoke seeping up from the floor.

With the air getting thin, Hayate doubled his efforts, but soon he was sliding down to his knees, coughing and clawing at his throat. His vision went blurry, and before long, he fell down flat, unmoving and unconscious.

He was unable to see the chamber open up again. Men with masks entered the chamber and came up to the prostrate body.

"Is this the one?" one of the men asked.

"How should I know?" his companion returned. "Our orders were just to get him to the barge. So let's do this so we can go home."

Hayate didn't feel it as his cheek made contact with the steel floor in the ship's hold. Nor did he hear the vessel blow its horn as it started to set sail.

-

At Kasumi's request, her ordainment was postponed for a fortnight to await any word from Hayate. That was a fortnight of looking over the horizon, of watching the sun rise and then later set, of her stomach tensing up with nervousness every waking moment.

On the thirteenth day, two Mugen Tenshin scouts brought back a familiar knife found in an abandoned building on the waterfront. No body was recovered.

That evening, Kasumi sat in her empty home with the knife on the low table in front of her. In the light of the setting sun, she watched the shadows grow and the reflection on the hilt turn a brilliant red before fading into a dimmer shade. She recognized this knife. Its range was shorter than the ceremonial sword he wore on his back, but longer than a kunai, and the blade was tailored to cut through flesh with ease. The hilt, which was long for better gripping, was embossed with twin golden dragons. It had been a gift from her father, passed down from his father and his father before that. Hayate had always carried it on him. He had been sentimental like that.

Kasumi shook her head violently, and she immediately felt horrible for thinking about him in the past tense. But…there was really no way around it, was there?

There was no corpse, so there could be no burial. She could still perform a memorial ceremony, but she wasn't sure she really wanted to. That would be like admitting there was no more hope.

Kasumi covered her eyes as the first of the tears came, and gritted her teeth even as the choking sound escaped. It wasn't long before the rest of the screams clawed their way up her throat, while her tears streamed down her cheeks and splashed onto the table. Her heart ached with despair, and she freely gave voice to her anguish in the only wretched way she knew how, inadequate though it was.

She stifled her sobs when she heard someone walking out on the deck. Reaching out, she slowly gripped the knife and drew it close to her. Not bothering to wipe away the wetness staining her face, she clutched the blade with two hands and, drawing it to her, waited for the intruder to show himself.

From outside, the voice of Ryu Hayabusa made his presence known. "Kasumi?" Receiving no response, he nonetheless slid the door open and invited himself in to see her in exactly the same position she had been before he announced himself.

At first he had been alarmed to see her holding the knife close to heart, but after realizing that she was not holding it with the intention of taking her life but for comfort, he relaxed. She didn't invite him to sit down, but he did anyway.

She started when she felt his fingers gently brush against her cheek, wiping away the moisture. Instinctively, she flinched away.

"I—I'm sorry," he said, drawing his hand back.

She made no reply and instead scrubbed them away furiously her self. The awkward silence that followed was punctuated only by Kasumi's heavy breathing.

"It was DOATEC, wasn't it?" she finally demanded, her voice still thick with emotion.

Ryu looked at her with alarm. "Kasumi, you can't be thinking—"

"I will avenge him," she said simply, cutting him off.

"You can't." When she looked at him sharply, he tried to explain in the most reasonable tone he could manage, "Listen, your brother died trying to take them down. What makes you think that you'll succeed where he failed?"

"I will not fail."

Ryu tried a different tactic. "Kasumi, Hayate wouldn't want you to do this. You need to honor his memory—"

"This goes beyond just my brother, Hayabusa-san. You should know that already."

"Kasumi—" Ryu stopped abruptly, but he already had her attention. Deciding to throw caution into the wind, he took a deep breath and said, "Hayate has already absolved you of any blood debt."

Kasumi's eyes went wide with shock. "What?"

"His final orders…written on that scroll, it says…that if you leave the clan with the intention of avenging him, you are to be declared a runaway shinobi and considered dead to the clan."

For a few moments, Kasumi was utterly stunned into silence. "How—how could he?" she whispered, still in shock. On the tabletop, she clenched her hands into fists. Ryu could see the whites of her knuckles brighten.

"He had no right," she said in a low voice. "He had no right to do that."

"He did it to protect you."

"He made me weak!" Kasumi's fists shook furiously. "That vengeance was _mine_ and the only thing I had left of him!" The humiliating tears starting to come again. "How could he do this to me?"

Fighting against the feeling that welled up inside of him, Ryu closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was in control of him self again. "Kasumi, those are the direct orders of the Mugen Tenshin's former leader. As the newest head, you must obey them or you undermine your own position. Starting now, you must think of what's best for your clan, and put your selfish desires aside." But then he added in a gentler tone, like a kind of peace offering, "I know it's hard right now, but be strong…for the sake of your clan." Reaching out his hand before he knew what he was doing, he quickly came to and drew it back again hastily. Instead, he stood up and took his leave of her, saying he would come back tomorrow to see her ordained.

It was after he got outside and felt the cool air on his face that he finally allowed himself to actually feel the relief that had come from Kasumi's realization. Now, he thought, things would move forward.

The sharp cry of an hawk drew his attention to the sky above, and he saw the bird circle in its flight before taking off for the horizon.

Ryu bowed his head in a small prayer. I promise, Hayate. I'll take care of her.

-

On the morning of the day that Kasumi was to be declared seventeenth head of the Mugen Tenshin, she went downtown, wanting to get away from the village for a while.

Burying her hands further in the pockets of her jacket, she walked past the bakery without going in. She was walking by an electronics store and its large window with several televisions on display when something playing on the screens caught her attention.

There was a man standing behind a podium draped with a banner embossed with the letters: D.O.A.T.E.C. She gasped as she recognized Victor's face from that party so many nights ago amidst all the flashes of cameras and bright fore-lights.

Victor's voice, as smooth and confident as she remembered, flowed out of the store's speakers to the bustling street. "…it is because of it that I am dedicated to fulfilling my mentor's dream and plan to proceed with the Dead or Alive world battle championship tournament. I hope that the world will come together and help DOATEC to realize Fame Douglas' incredible legacy to the world of fighters…and at large. Thank you. I will now take a few questions."

Kasumi watched as the camera panned out to a reporter on the side, but what was being asked was completely lost as her brain stalled to a halt. The color completely drained from her face. It had only been a brief glimpse because the camera had moved too fast…but she could've sworn she saw…but that was insane, wasn't it? After all, she was standing right here, right now, and the words on the screen indicated this was a live broadcast. There was no way she could be two places at once!

She narrowed her eyes as things started coming together and her suspicions began to rise again. Spinning on her heel, she headed immediately for home.

-

Ryu watched anxiously as the sun set. He and everyone else had been waiting since the beginning of dusk and the protagonist for this evening still had yet to make her appearance. Eventually, someone was called on to go fetch her (Hayashi, Ryu noted with distaste, because he volunteered), and he could see Ayane at the front with her Hajin Mon school looking exceedingly exasperated.

Fear started to trickle down Ryu's spine when he saw Hayashi reappear in the distance, running and yelling something frantically, though he was still too far to be coherent. By the time he reached the elders, he was too out of breath to say anything, and he could only hold out the ceremonial sword she was supposed to have brought with her.

Immediately, there was chaos as the entire Mugen Tenshin was in an uproar. An equal number of shouts for mercy as there were for immediate action were lobbied back and forth in frenzy while the elders looked stunned. Eventually they motioned to gather for further deliberation.

Ryu signaled to his squad and turned, not bothering to stay and hear the verdict. He knew what they were going to say. Hayate's orders were very explicit.

He led his escort back to the Dragon clan hold in record time. He didn't have any to waste, after all. Dismissing them all, he ran back to his own quarters. He only had time to grab a few supplies and scribble out a note to his own father explaining his absence before disappearing into the night.

In his haste, Ryu failed to notice the shadowy figure crouched high above in the trees, watching him until he disappeared down the mountainside. As soon as Ryu was gone, the figure pulled out the walkie-talkie given to him and flicked it on. The static crinkled until he made a connection. "Yeah, it's me," he said. "The Dragon has left the nest."

"Understood," a voice responded. "Get yourself out of there. A helicopter will be waiting at the rendezvous point."

"Okay." The connection closed.

Akira Ryuuzaki put the communicator away and cast one last, languid look over at the unsuspecting village. Then, bidding it good riddance, he took off in the opposite direction that his former childhood friend had gone and vanished.

-

As the music rose, Helena closed her eyes and could feel her own emotions swelling up inside her until she thought she'd burst. Instead, she opened her mouth and her honeyed voice took over in conveying her feelings to the world. Or perhaps they were really Violetta's feelings.

Helena loved all types of music, but she lived for the arias. To her they were the most beautiful, and she took extra care when she sang them. All her concentration was focused on the words and the music—the stage, the audience, the world—it all disappeared for those brief minutes.

As the song sped towards the climax of the song, she got ready for her big finish. She hadn't been at all prepared for the sound of a gunshot ringing out and destroying the musical trance she worked herself into. And she certainly wasn't prepared to see her mother, a flurry of blinding white and golden blond, to be falling towards her, in slow-motion, an almost delicate trail of red in her wake.

With the gauzy, white folds of the costume and the shining tresses that glowed from the stage lights spreading out as though she were flying through the air, it was almost beautiful.

Like a swan.

A swan song.

A/N: Thanks for reading through this monstrosity. It clocked in at 34 pages on my laptop, single-spaced, so thanks for your patience. With this, we'll move into DOA one for the next chapter. As always, comments and constructive criticism are welcomed. Also, check out the revamp of my site, and don't forget to sign the gbookie v


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